By Paul Colbert
Precision targeting in Tauhara’s geothermal reservoir, up to 2.8km below the Earth’s surface, is helping Contact Energy produce up to 174MW of electricity. This milestone is part of New Zealand’s renewable energy strategy and marks a significant step in boosting the nation’s energy security.
Contact Energy utilised Seequent’s Leapfrog Energy software to visualise, in real-time, the complexity of subsurface conditions that drilling encountered. This process informed critical decisions about well placement, ensuring steam delivery for turbines and reinjection to recharge the reservoir.
Through this approach, Contact Energy maximised productivity and efficiency while minimising environmental impacts, delivering a geothermal power resource that will eliminate more than 500,000 tons of carbon emissions annually—equivalent to removing 220,000 petrol cars from the roads.
Contact Energy’s Tauhara geothermal plant produces up to 174MW of electricity.
Source: Contact Energy
Advanced tools in subsurface modelling
The $924 million Tauhara project involved a network of geothermal production and injection wells connecting the reservoirs to the power station. Leapfrog Energy enabled Contact Energy to adapt well characteristics in real-time, considering rock type, temperature, and other factors.
This collaboration highlighted a transformative blend of human ingenuity and technological innovation—a theme echoed in the BBC’s “Humanising Energy”. Like the stories presented there, Tauhara showcases how digital tools enhance collaboration, enabling teams to evaluate and optimise complex scenarios quickly. This builds on New Zealand’s legacy of geothermal innovation, which began with the pioneering Wairakei Power Station, the world’s first geothermal power station to utilise flash steam technology commissioned in 1958.
With data-rich visualisations, Contact Energy avoided costly drilling delays or second-guessing. Larger-diameter wells reduced the overall drilling footprint, balancing project costs with environmental responsibilities.
Enhancing Aotearoa New Zealands’s renewable energy future
As one of New Zealand’s largest energy generators and retailers, Contact Energy is committed to achieving net-zero emissions for its generation operations by 2035. Tauhara, Contact’s sixth geothermal power station in the Taupō area, reinforces geothermal energy’s critical role in Aotearoa’s power supply. Nearly 20% of the nation’s electricity is generated through geothermal resources, making it a key driver of sustainable energy growth.
Geothermal energy, as Seequent’s Jeremy O’Brien, Segment Director for Energy at Seequent interviewed on Radio New Zealand (RNZ) emphasises in “Demystifying Geothermal Energy“, remains one of New Zealand’s most dependable renewable energy sources. Its non-weather-dependent nature positions it as a cornerstone in the transition to a greener future.
Seequent Energy Segment Director Jeremy O’Brien
The Tauhara project also underscores Contact Energy’s deep connection to the Taupō community and its relationship with iwi. By working closely with local stakeholders, Contact Energy ensured that the development of Tauhara reflected not only technical excellence but also a shared vision for sustainable energy. This partnership emphasises the importance of geothermal resources as both an energy solution and a taonga (treasure) for the region. Through projects like Tauhara, Contact Energy continues to honour its commitment to the community, fostering mutual benefits and supporting Taupō’s role as a leader in renewable energy innovation.
With innovative solutions and strategic partnerships, Tauhara’s geothermal success exemplifies how cutting-edge technology and bold ambition can unite to reshape energy landscapes—a story that is as much about people and creativity as it is about science and engineering.
- Faster well planning, saving significant time.
- Optimisation of well targets and sidetrack options.
- Meeting drilling schedules and reservoir targets without delays
- Improved workflows via cloud-based collaboration.
- Extraction of new value from legacy subsurface data
Drilling rig.
Contact Energy was a 2023 Founders’ Honors Recipient in Bentley’s prestigious Going Digital Awards in Infrastructure, in the Subsurface and Modelling category.