What would happen if the Clyde Dam burst?

Rocks and boulders, trees and buildings, cars and people, would all be swept away in the disaster. An overtopping landslide wave would have less pressure but would still travel almost as fast as water rupturing through the dam.

How long did the Clyde Dam take to fill?

18 months
He was there when the generation plant was installed at the dam in 1989 and, as Lake Dunstan filled, they were commissioned and power was first generated in 1992. “It took 18 months to fill the lake,” he said.

Why was Clyde Dam built?

But, that was not the reason the Government of Sir Rob Muldoon bulldozed the Clyde Dam through the planning process in the early 1980s. It wanted the electricity to reduce the country’s reliance on imported oil and to fuel heavy industry such as an aluminium smelter at Aramoana — which never eventuated.

How much power does the Clyde Dam produce?

432 megawatts
Clyde. The Clyde Dam on Lake Dunstan is the largest concrete gravity dam in New Zealand. There is a million cubic metres of concrete in the dam with another 200,000 cubic metres in the powerhouse. The power station is capable of producing 432 megawatts (MW) of power from its four turbine generator units.

Where was the Clyde Dam supposed to be built?

The Clyde dam was one of the Robert Muldoon led National Government’s “Think Big” projects. The Clutha Valley Development project initially proposed five dams to be built on the Clutha and Kawarau rivers, including at Luggate and Queensberry.

When was the Roxburgh Dam and Clyde Dam built?

The Roxburgh dam was commissioned in 1956, creating Lake Roxburgh. Then in 1992 the Clyde Dam was commissioned filling the Cromwell Gorge and creating Lake Dunstan. The building of theses dams for HEP was pretty controversial at the time, the results of which have changed the landscape considerably.

How many people were working on Clyde Dam?

“I saw the generators being built, like Meccano.” The Cromwell Gorge’s hillsides needed extensive work, because geologists considered the area needed stabilising, so drainage tunnels were bored and buttressing built. At its peak there were 1000 people working on the development.

Why was Cromwell Gorge needed for Clyde Dam?

The Cromwell Gorge’s hillsides needed extensive work, because geologists considered the area needed stabilising, so drainage tunnels were bored and buttressing built. At its peak there were 1000 people working on the development. “People came to work here for the job and some people came here for Central Otago’s lifestyle.