Sumitomo has contributed to 17% of global installed geothermal power capacity
The Tauhara Geothermal Power Station in New Zealand (source: Sumitomo Corporation)
Carlo Cariaga
12 Sep 2024
With the handover of the 184-MW Tauhara Geothermal Power Plant, Japan-based Sumitomo has contributed to 17% of the global installed geothermal power capacity.
In June 2024, Sumitomo Corporation (Sumitomo) officially announced the contractual hand-over of the Tauhara Geothermal Power Station in New Zealand to Contact Energy. With this achievement, the total installed capacity of geothermal power plants that Sumitomo has contributed to with construction and supply services has reached 2700 MW, or roughly 17% of the total global installed geothermal power capacity.
The Tauhara Geothermal Power Station has a generating capacity of 184 MW, equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of approximately 200,000 households and about 3.5% of New Zealand’s total electricity generation. It holds the distinction of being the world’s largest single-shaft geothermal steam turbine generator. Construction of the Power Station began on February 2021 and was completed 41 days earlier than the contract deadline, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sumitomo is the first Japanese company to be contracted for the engineering, procurement, and construction of a geothermal power plant in New Zealand, which was the Kawerau Geothermal Power Plant in 2008. The company had then been involved in two more 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.
Contact Energy had since completed a 30-day test run of the Tauhara Geothermal Power Station with the plant running continuously at 152 MW. The power plant has started supplying renewable electricity to the grid at a reduced capacity of 130 MW while the final stages of commissioning are still ongoing.
Source: Sumitomo Corporation
