Feasibility studies are ongoing throughout the rest of the year, this e-news highlights some of the progress being made along the way.
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June 2022
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Last month, the Government launched its Emissions Reduction Plan for 2022 to 2025, the first of 3 emissions budgets to set out how New Zealand will reach a net-zero future. The importance of the NZ Battery Project was underscored by the Plan when it was listed as 1 of 5 key initiatives to ensure the electricity system and market can support high levels of renewable electricity in the future. While our feasibility studies are ongoing throughout the rest of the year, this e-news highlights some of the progress being made along the way.
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Lake Onslow geotechnical fieldwork well underway
Photo: Geophysical surveying underway as part of the Lake Onslow feasibility study.
In mid-April the detailed geotechnical, geophysical and hydrogeological work begun at a number of sites near Lake Onslow. This work aims to understand whether, and how the regional geology could support pumped hydro infrastructure.
The field teams include geologists, drill rig operators, geophysicists and a drone operator. Work is progressing well across the various sites near the lake.
Non-intrusive geophysical surveys are one of the activities undertaken at some locations. This is where a sledgehammer is used to hit a metal plate, which will send soundwaves through the ground.
Geophones laid out on the ground and connected by wires pick up the sound and provide information that helps understand geological conditions under the site, including depth of soils over rock, location and orientation of fault lines and rock properties.
Geotech fieldwork to begin in the Teviot Valley
Geotechnical fieldwork for the NZ Battery Project will soon expanded into the Teviot Valley.
Like the fieldwork near Lake Onslow, this work includes drilling boreholes, digging surface-level test pits and geophysical surveys.
The work will occur on public land over the next 2 months at sites selected to minimise disruption to the community and surrounding environment.
This work is to understand what’s happening underground and investigate where on the Clutha River/Mata-Au water could be stored before being pumped through a tunnel to Lake Onslow, should the scheme go ahead. Depending on location, this may involve constructing a lower reservoir, which would allow water to be used in the scheme while minimising any effects on the river.
3 possible sites are being investigated, 1 at Lake Roxburgh where the lake would act as a reservoir, and 2 further sites downstream. This fieldwork will help determine the most appropriate location, size and design for any lower reservoir.
The NZ Battery Project team is committed to working with the community and mana whenua. We are looking at how we can engage in the coming months to understand various viewpoints and concerns, that will feed into the Lake Onslow feasibility study.
No decisions have been made on whether the Lake Onslow scheme will go ahead. The NZ Battery Project is currently in the information-gathering phase as it investigates ways to address the dry year electricity problem. Information from this fieldwork will feed into the Project’s feasibility study, which considers the commercial, environmental, social, cultural and technical aspects of a pumped hydro scheme at Lake Onslow.
The Lake Onslow option will be compared to other renewable technologies that could help address the dry year problem, including hydrogen, bioenergy and flexible geothermal energy. These options will be considered by Ministers at the end of year.
For more information on the geotechnical investigations, visit our webpages:
If you would like to get in touch with the team, please email us at nzbattery@mbie.govt.nz.
