The New Zealand Herald newspaper today says the new station, if built, could delay national grid owner Transpower's plans to upgrade its high-voltage system to prevent critical power supply shortages in the upper North Island from 2010.
It quotes Genesis chief executive Murray Jackson as saying his company had been investigating potential power station sites in the Helensville and Wellsford areas as their proximity to a gas pipeline and electricity transmission lines made them attractive.
But Jackson said any decisions on the project depended on Genesis developing its gas reserves, including those from the onshore Taranaki Cardiff-2A well in which Genesis holds a 40% interest.
PEP 38738 operator Austral Pacific Energy is about to production test three fracced Eocene-aged Kapuni formation intervals at Cardiff-2A, which has the potential to contain over 300 bcf of gas.
A Kaipara station could have initial capacity of approximately 240MW – which would limited by current gas pipeline capacity – but could have an ultimate capacity of 360MW if increased gas supplies to the plant were possible.
A new Genesis gas-fired station might also affect plans by fellow government-owned Mighty River Power to reinstate the Marsden B power station, near Whangarei, as a coal-burning plant.
