The Matiri Project is a run-of-river hydroelectric scheme at Lake Matiri and the Matiri River in the South Island of New Zealand. The project takes water from a series of intake weirs at Lake Matiri and pipes it through a 2.4km long buried pipeline to a power station.[1]

Matiri Project
Intake weir of the hydro scheme
Country	New Zealand
Location	Matiri Valley, Tasman District
Coordinates	41°39′43″S 172°20′4″E
Status	Operational
Commission date	11 December 2020
Owner(s)	Southern Generation Partnership
Operator(s)	Pioneer Energy
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Hydropower
Power generation
Nameplate capacity	4.6 MW
[edit on Wikidata]

The project was originally proposed by New Zealand Energy Limited, which applied for resource consent for a 4.6 MW station in August 2008.[2] The scheme was opposed by environmentalists and kayakers some of whom were angry that the resource consents were not notified nationwide.[3] The proposal was approved and it included a concession granted by the Department of Conservation to build structures on public land. Forest and Bird did not see that there would be any conservation gain in giving the approval.[4]

The development rights were purchased by Pioneer Energy in 2014.[1] Construction began in 2018.[5] Construction was delayed by a slip[6] and by the Covid-19 pandemic, and the scheme was finally commissioned in December 2020.[1] Ownership was transferred to the Southern Generation partnership on completion.[1]

See also

• Electricity sector in New Zealand
• List of power stations in New Zealand

References

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