Country New Zealand Status Operational Type Hydroelectric Owner Trustpower | Location Tasman Commission date 1956 Nameplate capacity 32 MW (43,000 hp) Units operational 6 | |
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Similar Cobb Reservoir, Kahurangi National Park, Museum of New Zealand | ||
The Cobb Power Station is a hydroelectric facility on the Cobb River, 112 kilometres (70 mi) northwest of Nelson, New Zealand. Since 2003, it has been owned and operated by TrustPower. Annual generation is approximately 190 gigawatt-hours (680 TJ).
It is fed by the Cobb Reservoir and has a head of 596 metres (1,955 ft), the highest of any power station in New Zealand. From the reservoir, a 2.6 kilometres (1.6 mi) long tunnel leads through the Cobb Range to the penstocks. The water flow is channelled via two 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long penstocks and the height difference between the intake and the power station results in a high pressure water flow of 7.25 m³/s to feed the six Pelton turbines.
Cobb Power Station can be reached from Upper Takaka via a sealed but windy and narrow 28 kilometres (17 mi) road along Takaka River. The power station building is situated at the edge of Kahurangi National Park, with the reservoir located entirely within the national park.