Hydroelectric power in New Zealand has been a part of the country’s energy system for over 100 years and continues to provide more than half of the country’s electricity needs. Early schemes such as the Waipori scheme commissioned in 1903 and the Lake Coleridge power station commissioned in 1914 established New Zealand’s use of renewable hydro energy.
By the early 1950s, over 1,000 MW of installed capacity was from hydro energy. In 1965, the High Voltage Direct Current transmission line between Benmore in the South Island and Haywards in the North Island was commissioned. From this point onwards, hydro capacity in the South Island increased rapidly, with developments including the 540 MW Benmore power station in 1966, the 700 MW Manapouri power station in 1971 and the 432 MW Clyde Dam, which was commissioned in 1992. By the mid-1990s, hydro capacity had reached over 5,000 MW, and remains around this level today.
In 2010, hydro generation produced 88.09 petajoules (PJ) of electrical energy, representing 56.4% of the total electricity generated.
Read more about Hydroelectric Power In New Zealand: History, Generation, Proposed Projects, Environmental Issues, See Also
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