Geothermal power plant in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. Approximate location -38.0631, 176.7272.
GeothermalBay of PlentyNew Zealand
Kawerau is a 100 MW geothermal power station in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand. It is operated by Mercury Energy. Based on its capacity (estimated), it can supply roughly 187,714 homes (estimated). It ranks #18 of 43 New Zealand power plants by installed capacity. Commissioned in 2008, it is around 18 years old — relatively modern. As a non-combustion source, it has no direct CO₂ emissions from generation. In context, geothermal supplies about 21.8% of New Zealand's electricity; the national grid averages 93 gCO₂/kWh (88.5% low-carbon) (2025).
Plant data: WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0), id WRI1000327.
Installed capacity (MW), WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0).
Operated by Mercury Energy. All plants by this company →
This geothermal plant taps underground heat to raise steam that drives a turbine. It sits in a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb) — Southern Hemisphere, latitude 38.1°S — which shapes how much energy it can produce and how its output varies through the year.
Monthly mean temperature
Heating degree-days here run 32% below the median power plant in this dataset — a proxy for how much extra energy heated equipment must replace through its surfaces in winter.
Climate heat-demand index: 37/100 — this site sits in the mid third of the power plants we cover by heating degree-days.
In colder climates, uninsulated hot equipment (boilers, turbines, valves, steam lines) loses proportionally more heat to ambient air — exactly the loss Inzonex modular insulation is designed to cut.
Climate normals: WorldClim 2.1 (1970–2000 monthly normals, 10 arc-min, CC BY 4.0); zone: Köppen-Geiger world climate classification (Kottek et al. 2006, 0.5° grid). Degree-days & heat-demand index computed by PowerAtlas — a modelled heat-demand proxy, not a measured site figure.
The #5 largest geothermal power plant of 7 in New Zealand by capacity.
New Zealand has 7 geothermal power plants in this dataset, together about 666 MW of capacity.
Coordinates -38.0631, 176.7272 from WRI Global Power Plant Database (CC BY 4.0). View on OpenStreetMap.
