New Zealand’s Tauhara geothermal power plant – one of the largest geothermal power plants in the world – goes online

The New Zealand government has set a goal of using 100% renewable energy by 2030. New Zealand has the fifth largest geothermal power generation capacity in the world and places particular emphasis on geothermal power generation because this type of energy provides a stable source of electricity that is not overly affected by the time of day, weather or season.

The power station has a generating capacity of 184 MW, which is equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of about 200,000 homes. This is about 3.5% (*1) of New Zealand’s total electricity generation.

Construction of the power plant, which Sumitomo Corporation began in February 202f1, was completed 41 days ahead of contract despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and handed over to Contact Energy on June 24, 2024. Since Sumitomo Corporation became the first Japanese company to be awarded the contract for the design, procurement and construction of a geothermal power plant in New Zealand – the Kawerau Geothermal Power Plant completed in 2008 – it has been involved in two other projects, both of which were completed ahead of schedule, including the Nga Awa Purua Geothermal Power Plant completed in 2010. These achievements were made possible by Sumitomo Corporation’s global expertise in power plant construction and over 40 years of collaboration with Fuji Electric Co., Ltd., a leading manufacturer of steam turbines for geothermal power plants.

With the completion of the power plant, the total installed capacity of geothermal power plants to which Sumitomo Corporation contributed in the form of construction and equipment supplies is 2,700 MW, equivalent to 17% of the world’s total (*2). Sumitomo Corporation has prioritized renewable energy business areas in its medium-term management plan and will continue to participate in the construction of new geothermal power plants to further develop new sources of renewable energy.

(*1) According to research by Contact Energy
(*2) Estimate by Sumitomo Corporation based on data from research firm ThinkGeoEnergy