World Power Plants

Waipapa is a 54 MW hydro power plant in New Zealand, commissioned in 1961 and operated by Mercury Energy. Ranked #18 of 24 hydro plants in New Zealand, Waipapa's 54 MW represents 1.23% of New Zealand's total hydro capacity of 4,388 MW. The largest hydro plant in New Zealand is Manapouri at 800 MW, making Waipapa 14.8 times smaller. Nearby plants within 50 km include Maraetai (352 MW, Hydro), Arapuni (192 MW, Hydro), and Wairakei (132 MW, Geothermal). The facility is located in New Zealand's North Island, approximately 200 km from Auckland.

Capacity
54 MW
Commissioning Year
1961

65 years old

Owner
Mercury Energy
Location
-38.2920°, 175.6835°

New Zealand, Oceania

Context & rankings
  • 32. largest of 43 plants in New Zealand
  • #12,787 worldwide by installed capacity
  • #3,082 of 8,493 Hydroelectric plants worldwide
  • 0.81% of the installed capacity of New Zealand
Age & fleet comparison

65 years in operation

Hydroelectric fleet average: 42.1 years

Operator portfolio

Mercury Energy operates 12 plants totalling 1,434 MW

Regional density

19 plants within 100 km, 2,733 MW combined

Nearest plant: Maraetai (8.7 km)

Data provenance

Location

Coordinates:: -38.292000, 175.683500
Open in Google Maps
Carbon Footprint

Zero Direct Emissions

Waipapa is a hydro power plant producing approximately 189 GWh of clean electricity per year with zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Lifecycle emissions: ~24 g CO₂/kWh (manufacturing, transport, decommissioning)

Technical Details

Primary Fuel Type
Hydro
Energy Source
Renewable
Country
New Zealand
Continent
Oceania
Data Source
Global Power Plant Database

New ZealandEnergy Profile

43
Total Plants
6.7 GW
Total Capacity
HydroGeothermalGasCoal
Top Fuels

See Incorrect or Missing Data?

Help us improve our database by reporting any corrections or updates. Your contribution helps keep our global power plant data accurate and up-to-date.