Voith has successfully commissioned the second upgraded turbine unit at New Zealand’s Roxburgh Hydropower Station, advancing its modernisation initiative for the 1950s-era facility. Owned by Contact Energy, four out of the eight original 40 MW units are undergoing phased replacement, with the project now halfway through the upgrade process.
The newly commissioned unit, following rigorous testing and a 10 day endurance run, was handed over to the customer for commercial operation in mid-August 2025. Leveraging insights gained from the first turbine upgrade completed in December 2024, Voith – supported by its New Zealand-based subcontractors – successfully reduced the on-site implementation time by over a month. Efficiency tests in January 2025 confirmed that the first unit met all contractual performance guarantees.
“The upgraded turbines deliver higher output with the same water flow due to the significant increase in efficiency,” stated Contact Energy’s Project Delivery Manager, Kirk Pritchard. “Our collaboration with Voith and its subcontractors has been instrumental in such a successful project. With two units operational, we’re on track to modernize this iconic piece of infrastructure that has powered New Zealand for over half a century.”
The third turbine, manufactured at Voith’s facility in India, arrived at Port Chalmers, New Zealand, on August 31, 2025. It will be installed following the ongoing dismantling of the existing unit. Each new stainless-steel runner, weighing 28.5 tonnes and measuring 3.9 meters in diameter, is engineered to maximize energy output.
Raj Vidyarthi, Managing Director & CEO of Voith Hydro India, stated: “This project underscores our ability to seamlessly combine the expertise of our global teams, manufacturing excellence and collaboration with Contact Energy and subcontractors for successful execution.”
