Rowling call for urea-plant halt

Press, 2 October 1979, Page 3

Rowling call for urea-plant halt

PA Wellington r The Leader of the Opposi- ) tim <Mr Rowling) has called for the suspension of ail | work towards the proposed ammonia-urea plant in Tara- t naki until there has been an ■ impartial commission' of in- < qutry. ** ■. He said yesterday that, g■ ng or. present nforma-r n. a Labour Government I would have serious doubts about continuing to support anv such project after 19sl. ; Ihe labour energy and I environment caucus committees had been scrutinis- ; ing the plant proposal for i several months. The information gathered t confirmed the widespread < public and professional con- i cern ab ut the use of Maui I gas that way. "Frankly. it looks as t though the Government has t been hooked on to something j promoted enthusiastically by ■ s me Government depart- \

ment>. and is now determined to charge ahead regardless.” Mr Rowling said. A< argument against the project, Mr Rowling said: — The second-hand equipment bought for the project was five years oid, was out of date, and had an expected ifespan of only 15 years. — A world glut of urea made any exports very unlikely. — A significant scientific opposition existed to the production of nitrogenous fertiliser from urea, when X'ew Zealand could already produce what was needed irom clover. — The Commission for the Environment was com cerned about the effect of more urea application on the land. — Federated Farmers hat' withdrawn any support it might have given the project. because there was no guarantee the home product would be cheaper than what.

was imported now. All that added up to a I “very major question mark" . ver" the expenditure of at , least $7O million of public money, much of it in 'overseas funds. “This is the first c mmercial use of Maui gas There is no room for any i expensive blunders, perpetrated by sheer pig-head-edness on the part of the Government,” said Mr Rowling. “I challenge the Ministers of Energy and the Environment to state clearly whether they are prepared to put this matter to an open ’inquiry, and if not. why not. ”1 warn those who are 'pushing for the project that there is no way that a I abour Government is going get involved with something that looks to be nothing more than a massive white elephant,” Mr Rowling said.