Huge concrete pour as Huntly e3p construction progresses
One of the largest continuous pours of concrete ever seen in New Zealand took place yesterday at the Huntly Power
Station as work progressed on the foundations for the e3p 385MW combined cycle gas turbine.
Starting at 3am, more than 1000 cubic metres of concrete was trucked to the site from two concrete batching plants by a
fleet of 25 concrete trucks carrying 200 loads. It took 12 hours to pour the concrete into the foundation bed.
The foundations of e3p consist of 230 32 metre concrete piles, which were driven into the ground over the past four
months. The site was then excavated down to a depth of 5.5 metres around the piles and prepared for the 1100 cubic
metres of concrete.
The substantial concrete base and piles are required to support a total weight of 1000 tonnes of gas turbine, generator
and heat recovery steam generator.
Huntly e3p (Energy Efficiency Enhancement Project) is the largest electricity generator currently under construction in
New Zealand. Construction of the project is on schedule and the gas turbine is due to be commissioned in December 2006.
Mitsubishi Corporation is the main contractor for e3p and civil works on the site are led by Downer Engineering Power.
Work is also nearing completion of the heavy haulage route to get the large components of e3p from the Port of Auckland
to Huntly. The biggest project within the heavy haulage route was the upgrade of the Tainui Bridge at Huntly. This
project is on track for completion by August, ready for e3p loads arriving through the latter half of 2005 from
constructor Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan.
Huntly e3p will run as a baseload generator fuelled from gas supplied from the Pohukura and Kupe gas fields.
ENDS