The Story of the Dam

Clyde Dam, built on the Clutha River,  is the largest concrete gravity dam and the third biggest hydroelectric dam in New Zealand  consisting of one million cubic metres of concrete. It's total height is 100 metres, with a width at base of 70 metres, width at crest 10 metres and length at crest 490 metres.

The station began generating power in May 1992 and produces a maximum generation capacity of 432 MW.  The Dam is owned and operated by Contact.

Controversy surrounded the building of the dam, saw a number of orchards and houses removed from the Cromwell Gorge to allow the flooding of the river valley. The lake formed by the dam, Lake Dunstan, is 26.4 square kilometres in size or 430,000,000 m3 of water.

Its recreational uses include water-skiing, boating, canoeing, jet boating, boat cruises and eco-tours of the abundant fish and bird life.