Ngawha Geothermal Limited
The details
We’ve been involved with the Ngawha geothermal power station since its inception in 1996, spanning scientific, technical, cultural, political and planning aspects of the project. Our work began with establishing baseline information and documenting the physical characteristics of air quality, groundwater, springs, lakes, streams, habitats and fauna in the surrounding environment.
Since then, we’ve managed the ongoing environmental monitoring and resource consent compliance for the site, providing consistency and strong integration of information across nearly three decades of operation.
The challenge
A project spanning this many years, and this many stages of expansion, needs consistent, reliable environmental data to support decision-making, consenting, and regulatory compliance at every step. From the original 10MW pilot station through to the 57MW plant operating today, each expansion has brought its own consenting requirements, environmental assessments, and monitoring needs, all needing to build on a coherent long-term record rather than starting from scratch.
Our approach
We’ve provided continuous environmental monitoring and resource consent compliance since 1996, including establishing the environmental monitoring plan, supporting greenhouse gas monitoring under the Emissions Trading Scheme, and liaising with District and Regional Councils and stakeholders.
In 2011, we supported the planning and sampling needed for the station’s entry into the Emissions Trading Scheme, and continue working on ways to mitigate emissions. When the OEC4 Power Station came online in 2021, we were involved from initial planning and environmental assessment through to monitoring erosion and sediment control during construction.
Outcomes
Our long-term monitoring and compliance work has supported the site through multiple stages of growth, from the original 10MW pilot station in 1998, to 25MW in 2008, to 57MW following the OEC4 expansion in 2021. Along the way, our data has provided a critical reference point for plant operations and valuable evidence for Council and Environment Court hearings supporting the station’s expansions.