Doubts about power plans

Press, 4 November 1978, Page 21

Doubts about power plans

Some Christchurch councillors are not convinced by the New Zealand Electricity Department and M.E.D. arguments for the proposed new I transmission line through I Bexley and Wainoni. j They told the council’s Public Utilities Committee that firm support for the project should not be given until there was more time for residents in' the affected suburbs to comment. But the chief engineer of the M.E.D. (Mr W. G. Johnstone) said the project was a way of solving the potential problem of having only one transmission line serving eastern Christchurch. “We have repeatedly asked the Electricity Department to do something about the situation.” he said. According to the M.E.D., the Bromley sub-station could supply half of the city’s load for many years. But a single tower accident;

■ on the line from the south • could leave half of Christ- ■ church without power. In such an emergency,) ■ power could be brought down! i the new transmission line from north of the city. ; An accident occurred dur- • ing the 1975 gale, but a pro- ; longed failure was avoided t because enough power could i ; be transferred to the Brom-i i'ley supply point through the) • M.E.D. system. Load growth since then f would mean less power from ■ that source could fill the gap i if another accident occurred. I “As a result, areas such as : Brighton-Aranui could be ; .completely without power for several days,” said the' 1) M.E.D. report. >i Cr Noala Massey questionbed whether that possibility ■was enough to make up for J the eyesore of power pylons );through neighbourhoods that ! i already had to put up with a .irubbish tip and a sewagetltreatment plant.