Photo: Clyde Dam New Zealand

Water rushes through to the Clutha River from Clyde Dam in Central Otago on the South Island of New Zealand.

The largest hydroelectric dam in New Zealand is the Clyde Dam which was built along the Clutha River near the town of Clyde and generates a capacity of 400 megawatts. There are a million cubic meters of concrete in the dam with a further 200,000 in the powerhouse. The Clyde Dam stands at 100 meters in height, 70 meters wide at the base, 10 meters wide at the crest and 490 meters long at the crest.Many controversies arose when the Clyde Dam was being planned as to whether it was actually needed and the fear that it would flood many houses and orchards farther upstream. The Clyde Dam proceeded as planned and was a major project that took place from 1977 to 1989 which created Lake Dunstan.During the construction of Clyde Dam in New Zealand many major factors were discovered and additional work was needed for draining purposes which made the whole project overrun the budget by almost fifty percent and delayed the filling of Lake Dunstan. ... continue below the picture...

... The water is in full force as it empties into the Clutha River which makes up Lake Dunstan where you can enjoy water skiing, boating, canoeing, jet boating, boat cruises and eco-tours of the abundant fish and bird life on the South Island of New Zealand.Clyde Dam, which forms Lake Dunstan situated near the town of Clyde, letting water through to the Clutha River, Central Otago, South Island, New Zealand.