Lake Onslow

Lake Onslow
Lake Onslow In May 2014
Lake Onslow
Location	Otago, South Island
Coordinates	45°33′S 169°37′E / 45.550°S 169.617°E / -45.550; 169.617Coordinates: 45°33′S 169°37′E / 45.550°S 169.617°E / -45.550; 169.617
Type	reservoir
Primary inflows	Teviot River
Primary outflows	Teviot River
Basin countries	New Zealand
Surface elevation	700 m (2,300 ft)

Lake Onslow is a man-made lake east of Roxburgh and south of Alexandra in the Otago region of New Zealand. It lies 700 m (2,300 ft) above sea level. It was formed in 1890 by the damming of the Teviot River and Dismal Swamp.

History[]

In 2019, the Interim Climate Change Committee proposed that the lake be used for a pumped hydro-storage system to provide backup electricity generation in dry years. The project had first been proposed in 2005 by hydrologist Earl Bardsley of the University of Waikato.^[1][2] In July 2020, Minister of Energy Megan Woods announced that the New Zealand government would fund a detailed feasibility study of the plan.^[3] If progressed, the scheme would be the biggest infrastructure project in New Zealand since the 1980s, employ an estimated 3500 to 4500 people, and take four to five years to build and a further two years to fill.^[4] One option could be 5 TWh of storage and a 1.2 GW power station, equivalent to half a year of full production.^[5]

References[]

External links[]

• Onslow Pumped Storage - Earl Bardsley (Archived August 12, 2021, at archive.today)

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