Tekapo A New Intake Gate

Protecting power for the people

PROJECT: Tekapo A New Intake Gate CONTRACTOR: Downer NZ CLIENT: Genesis Energy VALUE: $17.7m

The Tekapo A Intake Gate project for Genesis Energy is a unique engineering project that will protect one of the South Island’s key hydro-power schemes in the event of emergencies.

Downer was awarded the project in April 2019 to construct and install a 50 tonne gate that will allow Genesis to stop inflows that could send up to 680 million tonnes of water surging downstream.

There were significant engineering challenges – construction of the access shaft and tunnel works were governed by Mining Regulations, tolerances for gate installation were between 0.02 and 0.05mm and works had to meet just two shutdowns of 17 and eight weeks respectively to support unimpeded power generation. Downer worked collaboratively with Genesis, designers AECOM and subcontractor Parfitt Construction, to develop engineering smarts to maintain live operations, including construction of a permanent stent in place of a temporary measure to sustain power generation, and the use of shotcrete to build the shaft in layers, expediting the construction programme.

In February 2021, after nearly two years of construction, the Tekapo A Intake Gate project was completed on time and under budget, ensuring continued powering of over 125,000 Kiwi homes.