Convert Marsden B to gas—scientist

Press, 15 September 1979, Page 23

Convert Marsden B to gas—scientist

PA Wellington At least S3OOM could be saved by the Government if it converted the Marsden B pow er station to gas to meet projected electricity needs, instead of building the Clyde Dam. according to Dr Hugh Barr, an applied mathematician with the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research. Dr Barr said that the Ministry of Energy's Electricity Division would fail in its statutory duty to run at minimum cost if the Clyde Dam were built for 1991 as this year’s power planning report recommended. He said that the report virtually ignored the huge' surplus of electricity New Zealand would have in 198283.

It had recommended that South Island hydro schemes be continued, although the power would not be needed for years to come, but assuming the power planners' electricity demand forecasts: were correct, the Cis de Dam option appeared to be atj least S3OOM more expensive than the capital cost of get-i ting a similar amount of electricity from the Marsden B power station converted: to gas. Dr Barr, who has carried 1 : out research on the Government’s electricity forecasting: and planning system, 1 presented a paper on elec-, tricity forecasting to the! Operational Research 1 Society last month with rhe aim of ‘promoting discussion on the need for changes in our forecasting procedures.” He said that the 1979 power plan ran completely? counter to the Electricity Di-

vision’s duty to function at 1 minimum cost. The brand new Marsden B oil-fired station near Whangarei had been mothballed, for instance, whereas the building of the Clyde Dam, although delayed a few years, would continue. “Both schemes will produce about 1600gW of electricity, but the additional: .cost for Marsden B production is the cost of con-' version to Maui gas,” Dr Barr said. “This is about SBO.M tor a| pipeline to Whangarei from Auckland which would also supply compressed natural gas for cars, and supplement overseas fuel oil with gas.” he said.

Converting the power sta-l tion from oil to gas would' cost about S2.M. “In contrast, to get Cluthal power to load centres in the! North Island requires an'; additional S3OOM for dam construction, plus SIOOM for 1 a second Cook Strait cable.Energy losses would also be high, from 10 to 20 per cent,” Dr Barr said. “By far the cheapest op-i tion "is to convert North ls-| land oil-fired thermals, par- 1 . ticularly Marsden B, but possibly excluding Marsden A, to gas. “The Clyde Dam option appears at least S3OOM more, expensive than converting: Marsden B,” he said.