20/06/2026
TAUPŌ - NEW ZEALAND'S ELECTRICITY HUB!!
Between a third and 40% of New Zealand's electricity is generated in and around Taupō and the proportion looks likely to rise.
The string of hydro dams on the Waikato River that drains from Lake Taupō generate 10 - 13%, depending on hydrology.
The three hydro stations built at the south end of Lake Taupō as part of the Tongariro Power Scheme contribute 3.5 - 4%.
The geothermal plants around Taupō contribute another 20 - 22%.
There are no wind farms in the Taupō area. This is not surprising as the average windspeeds close to Taupō are generally moderate. Harapaki, which generates 1.2 - 1.3% of the country's electricity, is adjacent to the Napier-Taupō highway but much closer to Napier than Taupō.
There are currently no solar farms operating around Taupō but the country's largest solar farm, Te Rahui, is under construction on the Napier-Taupō Road not far from the Taupō end. When completed, it will generate between 1.5 and 1.6% of the country's electricity.
Further development of the geothermal resource in the area looks likely. Experimental deep drilling to tap critical geothermal heat using fracking-type technology is about to get underway near Rotokawa, to the north of Mt Tauhara. If this is successful, very large investments to further develop the local geothermal potential is very likely.
The photo is of Contact Energy's Te Huka power station with Mt Tauhara in the background.
