It's full steam ahead at Ngawha station

The country's newest power station is now up to full steam and providing up to 70 per cent of the Far North's electricity needs.
The expanded Ngawha Geothermal Power Station, arguably the largest commercial development in the Far North in the past two decades, is providing power to the national grid.
Stage two of the station, which cost $77 million to complete, is now consistently producing up to 70 per cent of all electricity consumed in the Far North.
The geothermal station was providing 15 megawatts of power, but the expansion has pushed that output up to 25MW. One megawatt is enough to power 1000 homes.
Commissioning stage two of the station started in September. It was rigorously tested under various conditions and load scenarios, before being put on line early in October.
The electricity generated is fed into Top Energy's network and then connected to the national grid, via Transpower's sub station near Kaikohe.
Top Energy chief executive Roger de Bray said the power station's output has been 15 years in the making. "It's been a huge undertaking for quite a while - from when we first conceived the idea of building a generator in the early 90s, through to this expansion coming on stream.
"There've certainly been challenges along the way, but I've always believed it would be a tremendous asset for the Far North community and one worth fighting for," Mr De Bray said.
Stage 1 of the Ngawha project saw the original generator commissioned in June 1998. It operated using four of 20 existing wells, drilled by the Ministry of Works in the early 1980s.
Resource consent applications for stage two were originally lodged in 2004 and after lengthy delays and an appeal to the Environment Court, they were granted in September 2006.
Mr De Bray said power generation at Ngawha is expected to produce excellent profits for the Top Energy Group. It will also mean that a large part of the electricity consumed in the Far North will be generated locally, reducing the community's exposure to possible national grid failures to the south.
The power station is expected to be formally opened early in the New Year.
Meanwhile, the public can get an opportunity to have a look over the power station when Top Energy holds an open day. The company plans to run free bus tours from the Kaikohe Agricultural, Pastoral and Horticultural Show on January 10.