Power Plan Defended

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30804, 16 July 1965, Page 3

Power Plan Defended

♦ (N.Z. Press Association) : MASTERTON. July 15. The president of the ; New Zealand Electricity Supply Authority, ■ Mr W. S. N. Rennie, of Wanganui, today discounted the electricity advisory council’s criticism of power planning for future needs. Mr Rennie, speaking in Masterton, said that he assumed the council had based its criticism on the power planning committee’s 1964 report because this year’s report had not yet been released. “Our estimates have been questioned in the past but we have proved them by being within 1 per cent Of requirements. “The Government Statistician, who is a member of the advisory council, has disagreed with our figures before. He has felt our estimates have been exaggerated, but we have the consumer in mind and the effect of a power cut on the consumer.” Mr Rennie was in Masterton to attend a function in

his honour arranged by the Wairarapa Electric Power Board. Mr Rennie will retire this year after nine years as president of the authority. “Our industry has three representatives on the planning committee and our planning is for a minimum of five years. Sometimes we go another five years over that.” “Power demand used to increase by 7 per cent a year, but now we have to work on a 10 per cent increase.” Mr Rennie said nuclear powered electricity was a possibility by 1977, “perhaps sooner.” He said British scientists had made a major breakthrough in the production of cheap atomic power recently. “Costs are now comparable with the present New Zealand cost of production.” Mr Rennie said the South Island still had a tremendous potential for hydro-electric power schemes. “In the North Island, Wairakei has not been the success it was hoped to be. “Geo-thermal power was the brain-child of the Ministry of Works, but it is no reflection on their engineers, or anyone, that it has not been up to estimates.

It’s just that nature has been against them. “They have to keep reboring the steam holes, or putting down new bores, to maintain their present level. Every bore costs £50,000. “You would be having power cuts now if Benmore had not come into operation, through the Cook Strait cable,” he said.