Mighty River Power's Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station has taken out top honours at the World GeoPower Markets Awards 2013, held in Amsterdam last night, winning the international award for Best Power Project.
The Company's General Manager Development, Mark Trigg, said the award was particularly significant as external recognition for the successful completion of Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station, confirming Mighty River Power as a world leading geothermal developer.
"We are thrilled that our Ngatamariki project has been acknowledged by our international peers, as it showcases Mighty River Power's commitment and success in geothermal development. We have built up rare expertise in this highly specialised and technically challenging field, and we are proud to be recognised on a global stage," he said.
Mighty River Power has been one of the largest geothermal developers globally in recent years, investing more than $1.4 billion and successfully completing three geothermal power plants domestically since 2008, in addition to interests outside of New Zealand.
Mr Trigg said the Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station, completed in September, marked a successful 10-year growth phase in New Zealand with nearly 400MW of geothermal capacity developed – fundamental to the Company's evolution and diversification. Mighty River Power is now one of the world's largest geothermal power station owners (by installed capacity). This has spearheaded a geothermal renaissance in New Zealand with geothermal now contributing more than 15% of the country's generation, and establishing Mighty River Power with a rare track record and expertise in this growing global niche.
"We are now applying our successful New Zealand model to geothermal growth opportunities internationally, with a focus on current investments in Chile and the United States. This includes opportunities around our investment during the development phase of the 50MW John L Featherstone plant, on the Salton Sea reservoir in Southern California, which has been in operation since May 2012. We also continue to develop opportunities in Chile through our fully-owned subsidiary MRP Geotermia," said Mr Trigg.
The World GeoPower Markets Award Ceremony was part of the annual 2013 World GeoPower Markets conference held in Amsterdam. The Award for Best Power Project is one of five awards presented during the ceremony designed to recognise and celebrate the steps taken during 2013 to make the international geothermal industry stronger and to maintain the momentum in growing the industry. Mighty River Power's Generation Development Manager during the Ngatamariki development, Stuart Lush, accepted the award at the event.