Rangipo Power Station ash damage to cost $5m

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 634, 30 April 1996, Page 3

Rangipo Power Station ash damage to cost $5m

High volcanic ash levels in the Tongariro River have caused the shutdown of the Rangipo Power Station while repairs to the turbines are carried out. One 60 megaw.att turbine at the underground power station was shut down last week due to erosion of the turbine while the second was placed in reserve. The second was damaged but to a lesser extent, said Electricity Corporation spokesperson Karen Jones. Specially hardened paris would be imported, at a cost of $5 million, for the repairs which could take several months. Ms Jones said ECN was aware of the deterioration for some time and had been monitoring the rate of damage

which had fluctuated with the amount of ash and debris in the river. "We were aware of the problem but just recently the cumulative effect had reached a point where it accelerated and we had to make a decision to withdraw one turbine," said Ms Jones. The shutdown means the country's generation capacity is cut by 1.8 per cent, but with high southern lake levels power prices were not expected to be affected. Tokaanu' s 240MW station was not affected by the ash because the Rangipo water could be diverted from the station.