Reefton Power Station

Reefton Power Station
The remains of the Reefton Power Station turbine room as seen in 2008.
Country New Zealand
Location Reefton
Coordinates 42°7.291′S 171°52.171′E / 42.121517°S 171.869517°E / -42.121517; 171.869517Coordinates: 42°7.291′S 171°52.171′E / 42.121517°S 171.869517°E / -42.121517; 171.869517
Status Decommissioned
Commission date 1888
Decommission date 1949
Owner(s) 1888 – The Reefton Electrical Transmission of Power and Lighting Company Ltd
1946 – Grey Electric Power Board
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Hydroelectric and steam

Reefton Power Station was the first power station to supply municipal electricity in the Southern Hemisphere.[1]

It supplied electricity to the town of Reefton in New Zealand. The power station turbine was run by water supplied from the Inangahua River via two tunnels and a headrace flume. After the town was connected to the National Grid in 1949 the power station was decommissioned.

Parts of the original structure remain and are accessible via a walking track,[2] and there are plans for restoration of the site. Stage 1 of this planned restoration was completed on April 11, 2015. This included new signage, riverbank preservation and walking track restoration.

See also

References

  1. ↑ New Zealand Historical Atlas – McKinnon, Malcolm (Editor); David Bateman, 1997, Plate 88
  2. ↑ "Reefton short walks" (PDF). Department of Conservation. Retrieved 2009-06-16.
  • IPENZ – Reefton Power Station


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