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Tauhara Geothermal Power Project Drilling Campaign

Contact Energy expanding renewable energy sources with Tauhara Geothermal power station

Sustainability Challenge

Energy Transition

An image of a turbine engine in a factory.

Story Highlights

Relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG Goal 7 affordable and clean energy.

SDG Goal 9 industry, innovation and infrastructure.

SDG Goal 13 climate action.

Utilized Software

Leapfrog Geothermal, Seequent Central

Location

New Zealand

ORGANIZATION/COMPANY

Contact Energy

As part of Contact Energy’s commitment to expanding their portfolio of renewable energy sources, the organization recently completed the 174-megawatt Tauhara Geothermal power station, their sixth in the Central North Island area. The NZD 818 million project uses geothermal production and injection wells to connect the geothermal reservoirs with the station itself. To efficiently target the reservoirs, which are between 1.7 kilometers to 3 kilometers below the surface, Contact Energy used applications from Seequent, the Bentley subsurface company, to fully visualize geological data in a 3D space. With a full understanding of the area, Contact Energy drilled multiple wells from the same location, resulting in a smaller environmental footprint. Now operational, the power station eliminates over 500,000 tons of carbon emissions per year and generates 12% of New Zealand’s electricity.

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