Gas plan attacked

Press, 23 February 1978, Page 6

Gas plan attacked

The decision not to pipe natural gas to the South Island has drawn strong criticism from the Christchurch branch of the New Zealand Ciean Air Society.

“Is it the Government's intention to keep Christ-1 church under a pail of smoke as an example to the! North Island, so that these] smoky conditions will be! avoided there?” asked the society’s president (Mr P. V.| Neary. The Minister of Energy) Resources (Mr Gair) an-1 nounced on Monday that] piping Maui natural gas toi the South Island would not be viable. He said that New Zealand would stand to lose SIOOM if such a venture! were attempted. The air pollution com- i mittee of the Canterbury! Regional Planning Authority! recommended in 1956 that, the Government should’ make provision for adequate l

supplies of energy in the form of hydro-electricity and/or smokeless, low-sul-phur solid and gaseous fuels at competitive prices, said M) Neary. The Government seemed to have accepted this recommendation for the North Island. he said, even though little domestic smoke pollution was reported there. “Our priorities were an I ample supply of hydro-elec-tric power, then natural gas, and finally a smokeless solid .fuel. Coke is the best solid I fuel available in Christ- ! church, but supplies will cease bv 1980.” Mr Neary felt that people lin Christchurch had ac-

I quiesced too long without 'putting up a fight. “People in the North Island don’t care a damn what is happenI ing to Christchurch.” he said.

' “Why don’t the Mayor and other people get inIdignant about it?”

Mr Neary said that the North Island was to be supplied with cheap natural gas, the existing smokeless solid fuel plant was being refurbished at a cost of S2M, and electricity cuts were low because of heavy industrial loads.

The Clean Air Council had said “by innuendo” that existing large “smokeless” space heaters were not not satisfactory for clean air zones. On Government advice they had asked that smaller units be investigated. “We have never believed' that coal-fired domestic appliances would really reduce the smoke loads in Christchurch,” said Mr Neary. “The}' require careful operation under clean conditions with exactly the right grade of fuels, and should not be turned down to low burning rates.”

“How can the public and representatives of Christchurch be content to accept the present position?” he I said.