NUCLEAR REACTORS BY 1977

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30512, 6 August 1964, Page 10

NUCLEAR REACTORS BY 1977

Production of electric power from nuclear reactors must be introduced in New Zealand by about 1977, according to the Power Planning Committee.

The committee recommends that a possible site for a nuclear power station should be selected, but notes that nuclear power generation could not be supported in New Zealand at present.

“The costs of power from nuclear power reactors constructed in New Zealand would be higher than the costs quoted overseas and so would be uneconomic compared with the alternatives still available to use here,” said the report. All plant must be shut down from time to time for maintenance and the size of commercial nuclear reactors was much too large to be accepted by the power system in New Zealand at present.

“It is fortunate for New Zealand that, it will receive the benefits of the enormous expenditure being incurred overseas on this means of power production and can await the outcome of the intense research and testing now being carried out.” The report said it was not yet clear what might ultimately prove to be the most Suitable and economic type of commercial nuclear reactor power station for New Zealand and the committee would

riot make recommendations which would incur an expenditure of the order of at least £lOO million. The committee made the following comments on other possible sources of power:— HYDRO Some acceleration was possible in the development of the Tongariro scheme and the commissioning date for the second stage had been advanced one year to 1970. In association with this scheme, it was proposed that the Maraetai II power station be reinstated. Further office work was necessary on the Kopuriki scheme before a recommendation could be made to proceed or not and this must be held over for a year. GEOTHERMAL • Until the whole behaviour of the Te Mihi-Wairakei field was amendable to prediction it would be unwise to proceed with development at Te Mihi. Nevertheless, parts of the Te Mihi area yielded dry or fairly dry steam and exploitation of such might be practicable as extraction of water would be at a minimum.

A substantially increased rate of expenditure was warranted on geothermal investigations to determine New Zealand’s resources as early as possible. At Orakei-Korako the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research suggested that investigational drilling should proceed in preference to .continuing at Waiotapu. NATURAL GAS

The use of natural gas in gas appliances instead of for the production of electricity would make available about

three times the amount of energy and its use, as gas, if at all practicable was supported by the committee. While the demand for natural gas was being built up the economic operation of the Kapuni field might require the surplus gas to be used in some manner for several years. In this event it was recommended that if the surplus gas be economic it be used for the production of electricity in generating plant. OIL The position on oil fuel had changed with the construction of the oil refinery at Whangarei. Time was all important and the committee recommended that, subject to satisfactory

costs and delivery times being obtained for the oil-fired thermal plant, the construction of the station, which could be sited at Marsden Point, be proceeded with urgently. GOAL The committee considered the costs of coal production should be closely investigated. By the time other hydro projects such as Atene and Motu had been investigated fully and estimated costs were available for them. It might be well that the margin between the generation costs for a coal-burning station on the West Coast of the South Island and for the hydro projects might be narrowed to a degree that would warrant a coal-fired station.