Scientists’ Report On Geothermal Electricity Possibilities At Rotorua

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 37, 13 April 1948, Page 3

Scientists’ Report On Geothermal Electricity Possibilities At Rotorua

The utilisation of the natural steam from the Dominion’s thermal districts is claimed by two New Zealand scientists to be the solution to power problems. Mr J. Healey, of the Geological Survey of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and Mr R. W. Foster, of the Auckland Industrial Development Laboratories, have been deeply into the matter. The fruits of their investigations at Rotorua are contained in a report which has arrived in Wellington. The report by the scientists indicates that investigation of the matter has gone far since Mr J. A. Bruce first suggested the establishment of a small geothermal power generating plant in New Zealand many years ago.

After pointing out that drilled wells in thermal regions may be regarded as steam pipes coming away from an underground boiler, and that some of the. 100 wells bored in Rotorua in the last few years have yielded working pressures of 601 b to the square inch from relatively shallow depths, the new report says that the use of steam from such wells for generating elec-

tricity is the most obvious and rational use that may be made of an important national asset. “Provided a suitable thermal area is selected, a plant of ahy size may be constructed and the power generated simply by drilling sufficient wells to fulfil the requirements. In the North Island, where water power is definitely limited, and' 1 there seems little chance of ever coping with ultimate. demand with hydroelectric generation, the use of volcanic heat is a logical development. There are numerous areas- in the Rotorua-Taupo region suitable for investigation for development purposes. It is interesting to note 'that the New Zealand conditions most closely resembling those in the thermal areas developed in Italy are to be found in North Auckland at Ngawha Springs, five miles from Kaikohe.

“Capital costs in the case of generation of electricity, from geothermal heat are less. The time factor Would appear to be an important one, since the investigational work necessary on a dam site frequently takes several years, whereas that on a natural steam plant site might take as many months.” *