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Story: Canterbury places

Lake Coleridge powerhouse

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Lake Coleridge powerhouse

After the Lake Coleridge hydroelectric power station opened in 1914, demand for electricity for homes and industries grew. In the 1920s work to increase the generation capacity began. This involved building a second intake at a greater depth. The intake cylinder is being lowered to the bed of the lake in 1925.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: PA-Group-00707, formerly part of the Energy Library collection

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

John Wilson, Canterbury places – Mid-Canterbury ranges, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/10282/lake-coleridge-powerhouse (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by John Wilson, published 2 March 2009, updated 17 August 2015.