Potential for 2000mW

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32877, 28 March 1972, Page 3

Potential for 2000mW

If the maximum resources of the Clutha River were used, more than 2000 megawatts of electricity could be generated, most of it at a cheaper rate than power from thermal stations, says the inter-departmental committee’s report.

If the most ambitious scheme for the development of the upper Clutha goes forward (including the flooding of all of Cromwell), and if this is combined with the present Roxburgh power station plus the most ambitious proposal for the lower Clutha and the optional extra dam at Barnego near Balctutha then the system on the river would be capable of generating 2032 megawatts of electricity with an annual output of 9203 gigawatt hours. The cost of production for each kilowatt hour of power would be 0.30 cents; the capital cost of the whole project $391 million (based on 1969 building costs); and the annual running cost $27.5 million.

By comparison, if the least ambitious schemes for the upper and lower Clutha are used, along with the existing Roxburgh dam but with no dam at Bamego the system would generate 1774 megawatts with an annual output of 7912 gigawatt hours. The cost would be 0.34 cents per kilowatt hour, the capital cost of the scheme $346 million; and the annual running cost $27.1 million. In March 1970 the New Zealand electrical generating

system had an installed capacity of about 3400 megawatts and in the preceding year produced 13,000 gigawatt hours of energy. By 1980 the capacity is expected to exceed 6000 megawatts having an annual output of more than 30,000 gigawatt hours. By 1990 it could exceed 12,000 megawatts and an output of 60,000 gigawatt hours. Each of the six proposals put forward by the Ministry of Works for development of the upper Clutha has an installed capacity of more than 1000 megawatts and would—coupled with proposals for the lower Clutha—make the project the largest hydro-electric system in the country.