9. Taranaki Region
9.1 Catchment #86: Patea
This catchment has:
- an existing hydro-electric power station (Patea)
- controlled lake storage (Lake Rotorangi).
Table 15: Hydropower Opportunities in the Patea Catchment with High to Medium Confidence of Proceeding in the Next 20 Years.| Name | MW | Average Energy Production (GWh p.a.) | Public Reference |
| Patea - Diversion into Mangaehu | 18 | 79 | BECA 1985 |
9.1.1 Patea - Diversion into Mangaehu
The Patea River originates on the eastern side of Mt Taranaki and flows down through Stratford and into the inland hill country where it is joined by a major tributary, the Mangaehu Stream.
The upper reaches of the Patea River are not as deeply incised as the middle reaches, upstream of Lake Rotorangi behind the Patea dam. However, approximately 1.7km upstream of the Mangamingi Bridge there is a site suitable for a storage dam with an overall height up to 64m. The river channel itself is about 30m deep.
A reservoir area of 3.9km2 at an impoundment height of 50m with an installed capacity of 18MW would generate approximately 79GWh p.a. (50% plant factor).
9.2 Other Opportunities in this Region
9.2.1 Prohibited
There are no known prohibited opportunities
9.2.2 Undefined
#78 Waitara and other North Taranaki rivers
The North Taranaki rivers and in particular the Waitara have reasonably steady flow because of high Taranaki rainfall. There have been few investigations undertaken of these opportunities yet many are in steep sided valleys where dams could be built. Many would be possibly uneconomic because of the distance of power station sites from transmission lines. The inland Taranaki dam sites may also be difficult and thus expensive because of the soil conditions.
#377 Waiwhakaiho, and Mt Taranaki ring plain rivers
The rivers coming off Mt Taranaki have a reasonably high flow because of the high rainfall in the area. The rivers are steep and many run directly to the sea and have no storage capacity. The topography lends itself to the concept of installing storage reservoirs along the river length so as to make use of the water potential. Some investigations have been undertaken into storage opportunities for community water schemes. Combining community water supply and electricity generation would improve the economics of opportunities.
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