| Title | REGIONAL GOVERNMENT STRATEGY FOR THE SUSTAINABLE USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE KAWERAU GEOTHERMAL FIELD BY MULTITAPPERS IN NEW ZEALAND |
|---|---|
| Authors | J. Laurent and P. Doorman |
| Year | 2021 |
| Conference | New Zealand Geothermal Workshop |
| Keywords | Kawerau, Geothermal, Multi-Tapper, System Management Plan |
| Abstract | The Kawerau Geothermal System in the North Island of New Zealand was first utilised for power generation in 1957. At this time all electrical power generation was controlled by the New Zealand Government. Over the next few decades the system was extensively developed by the Government. More recently, electricity production has devolved from a State-owned activity towards private ownership. Notably in 2005, Ngāti Tūwharetoa Geothermal Assets (NTGA) purchased substantial Crown assets (as part of a historical settlement with the Crown) relating to the Kawerau Geothermal System. There are now four major consent holders using the geothermal resource, including Mercury NZ Ltd, NTGA, Geothermal Development Ltd, and Te Ahi O Māui Ltd. Sustainable management of the resource is administered by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council (BOPRC) under the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA). It allocates use of the resource through consents, with each consent holder having specific rights and obligations around the use of the resource, for a specific period of time. The Kawerau geothermal resource is now one of New Zealand’s largest developed geothermal resources. The field has consented takes of close to 200,000 tonnes per day with generation of close to 400MWe of electricity and a further 1000 MWth for direct industrial use. To ensure cooperation between the multiple resource consent holders, and that the Kawerau Geothermal System is managed in an integrated and sustainable manner, BOPRC has worked with consent holders to develop a System Management Plan (SMP). The SMP is intended to provide an integrated approach to sustainable management of the Kawerau Geothermal System, and offer guidance to BOPRC in its decision making processes, in both the administration of existing consents, and the processing of new resource consent applications. This includes agreed operational protocols both amongst consent holders and between consent holders and BOPRC. |