The new bioreactor facility at the Wairakei Power Station near Taupo. Photo / Jeremy Bright
A one-of-a-kind new water treatment facility near Taupo is using gas-gobbling bacteria and 378km of underground pipes to clean Waikato River water.
While it may make a fabulous water feature, Wairakei Power Station’s new bioreactor is a serious piece of industrial plant, and a world first.
It uses sulphur-oxidising bacteria to reduce the levels of hydrogen sulphide in the power station’s cooling water.
The $30 million bioreactor was commissioned in July and formally opened yesterday at Wairakei with a blessing from Rev Sonny Garmonsway of Te Pihopatanga o Aotearoa (the Maori Anglican Church) and Ngati Tuwharetoa.
The bioreactor’s follows years of trials and a 12-month construction project.
Screw Pile Developments 