Meridian has outages planned for the three Ōhau stations (672 MW total capacity) this weekend from 6:00am on 19 February 2022 to 6:00pm on 20 February 2022 to carry out essential maintenance work at the three stations and in the associated canals.
These outages have been planned and signalled to the market for a long time to coincide with the HVDC outage this weekend, during which time Meridian generation will be constrained by the inability to transport energy to the North Island. All outage notifications are published on the Planned Outage Co-ordination Process website.
At this stage the plan is still for a two day outage. However, given the current low level of Lake Manapōuri and the need to conserve water in that catchment, Meridian is exploring options to return the Ōhau stations earlier than planned so that at least some Ōhau generation can be offered to the market overnight and on Sunday 20 February 2022.
There are several variables and uncertainties to account for, including the potential for Manapōuri inflows over the next few days, so it remains unclear at this stage whether changes to the outages will be feasible or desirable. As soon as we have certainty regarding any changes to the outages, we will disclose that information to the market via the Planned Outage Co-ordination Process website.
ENDS
For media queries, please contact:
Meridian Energy Media Team
0800 948 843
MediaTeam@meridianenergy.co.nz