Kourarau Hydroelectric Power Scheme

In 2011, Trust House Ltd took ownership of the 1-megawatt Kourarau hydroelectric scheme from Genesis Energy, which includes the recreational upper lake. The scheme comprises two small power stations, A and B, each supplied by a reservoir formed by the damming of the Kourarau Stream.

The scheme has an installed capacity of 910 kilowatts and typically generates around 3 million kilowatt-hours (3 GWh) of electricity per year — an average output of roughly 350 kilowatts, sufficient to power about 450 homes.

The Kourarau hydro scheme has operated continuously since 1923. It was built and run by the Wairarapa Electric Power Board (later Wairarapa Electricity Limited from 1993) before being acquired by Genesis Energy in 1999.

For more information on the history of the Kourarau scheme, please visit
the Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga website.