NEW GEOTHERMAL SOURCE DISCOVERED

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28661, 11 August 1958, Page 7

NEW GEOTHERMAL SOURCE DISCOVERED

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, August 10. A geothermal steam source, hotter than anything at Wairakei, * has been found at Waiotapu by the Ministry of ■‘"Works. This, with a new area being proved near Wairakei, gives promise of geothermal power well beyond the 250,000 kilowatts already in prospect from the central Wairakei area. • 5 . The Ministry of Works has also found that 1.5 million kilowatts of extra power may. be won from hydro-electric sources on the East coast of the North Island in the Bay of Plenty add Hawke’s Bay and immediately south of Lake Taupo. Initially, the Waiotapu area yielded very disappointing results. However, deeper drillihg has produced not only one bore about to be opened, but another to about the same, depth which gave repeated troubles, partly because of the heat generated below. It may also be opened soon. The other new steam area under investigation is about a mile to the west and south of the area drilled at Wairakei for the first geothermal station. This is also reported to be promising. Meanwhile, drilling for steam production or the first three stages of the geothermal power installation has produced about 190,000 kilowatts of stearfi output. About 300,000 kilowatts of steam are

needed to supply the total projected plant and give it an ade-

quate reserve. Engineers believe that all this can be obtained from the present area. 2000 ft Bore The new steam source at Waiotapu, a thermal area 18 miles south-east of Rotorua, has not yet been allowed to blow. However, a bore 2000 ft deep into the hot area will be opened within a few weeks. There are now strong hopes that Waiotapu will yield steam drier than that found at Wairakei and thus more suitable for power production. For the first time, the Waiotapu bore will tap steam sources beneath layers of rhyolite rock which blanket the volcanic origins of thermal heat throughout most of the area.