| Matiri Project | |
| Country: | New Zealand |
| Location: | Matiri Valley, Tasman District |
| Coordinates: | -41.6619°N 172.3344°W |
| Owner: | Southern Generation Partnership |
| Operator: | Pioneer Energy |
| Status: | Operational |
| Th Fuel Primary: | Hydropower |
| Ps Electrical Capacity: | 4.6 MW |
| Commissioned: | 11 December 2020 |
The Matiri Project is a run-of-river hydroelectric scheme at Lake Matiri and the Matiri River in the South Island of New Zealand. The project takes water from a series of intake weirs at Lake Matiri and pipes it through a 2.4 km long buried pipeline to a power station.
The project was originally proposed by New Zealand Energy Limited, which applied for resource consent for a 4.6 MW station in August 2008.[1] The scheme was opposed by environmentalists and kayakers some of whom were angry that the resource consents were not notified nationwide.[2] The proposal was approved and it included a concession granted by the Department of Conservation to build structures on public land. Forest and Bird did not see that there would be any conservation gain in giving the approval.[3]
The development rights were purchased by Pioneer Energy in 2014. Construction began in 2018.[4] Construction was delayed by a slip[5] and by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the scheme was finally commissioned in December 2020.[6] Ownership was transferred to the Southern Generation partnership on completion.[6]