The Roxburgh Dam is the earliest of the large hydroelectric

Hydroelectricity

Hydroelectricity is the term referring to electricity generated by hydropower; the production of electrical power through the use of the gravitational force of falling or flowing water. It is the most widely used form of renewable energy...

 projects in the southern South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It lies across the Clutha River / Mata-Au

Clutha River

The Clutha River / Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand flowing south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of ,...

, some 160 kilometres (99.4 mi) from Dunedin

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

, some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) to the north of the town of Roxburgh

Roxburgh, New Zealand

Roxburgh is a small New Zealand town of about 600 people in Central Otago. It is in Teviot Valley on the banks of the Clutha River, 40 km south of Alexandra in the South Island. State Highway 8, which links Central Otago with Dunedin city, passes through the town...

. The settlement of Roxburgh Hydro lies close to the western edge of the dam.

The dam was constructed by Holland, Hannen & Cubitts

Holland, Hannen & Cubitts

Holland, Hannen & Cubitts was a major building firm responsible for many of the great buildings of London.-History:It was formed from the fusion of two well-established building houses that had competed throughout the later decades of the nineteenth century but came together in 1883: this was...

 between 1949 and 1956, and the power station was commissioned over the period 1956-1962. The generating capacity was increased during the early 1960s, and today the eight-unit power station has a capacity of 320 megawatts operated by Contact Energy

Contact Energy

Contact Energy Limited is a New Zealand electricity generator, natural gas wholesaler and electricity, natural gas, and LPG retailer.The company is the second-largest electricity generator in New Zealand , generating 24 percent of New Zealand's electricity in the year ending 31 December 2009, and...

.

Lake Roxburgh

Lake Roxburgh

Lake Roxburgh is an artificial lake, created by the Roxburgh Dam, the earliest of the large hydroelectric projects in the southern South Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Clutha River, some 160 kilometres from Dunedin. It covers an area of some 6 km², and extends for nearly 30 kilometres...

, the lake formed behind the dam, extends for nearly 30 kilometres (18.6 mi) towards the town of Alexandra

Alexandra, New Zealand

Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago district of the Otago region of New Zealand. It is located on the banks of the Clutha River , on State Highway 8, 188 km by road from Dunedin and 33 km south of Cromwell.At the time of the 2006 census, the permanent population was 4,827, an...

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