Assurance on power sought

Press, 3 June 1981, Page 6

Assurance on power sought

The Heathcote' County Council wants an assurance from the Electrical Supply Authorities’ Association th f the proposed second aluminium smelter at Aramorna will not result in power c.Cs to consumers. A meeting of the councils electricity committee last evening recommended th.it the association’s preside? (Mr I. E. Kerr-Taylor) asked what action had betn taken to ensure that the proposed smelter would i.C adversely affect electricity supply. Moving the recommendation. Cr M. C. C. Buchanan said that the editorial in the April edition of "Live Lines" said that there would almost

■•ertainly be electricity shortages in" dry years during the mid-1980s if the smelter went ahead. The National Development »ct prevented the associalon from making submissions on the smelter, shr said. Cr R. Simcock said that ■.he long-range meterological forecast was for a dry spell in the 1980 s. Cr J. Richardson said that the matter had been bough' up as a political item. It was time to forget about the political angle of th* smelter. People could decid* whether they wanted it whei they voted in November. hi said. The Countv Chairman. Mr

W. M. Hindmarsh, said that the question was a sensible one. Since the council was a supply authority, it was not inappropriate to ask for official reassurance on supply for the 1980 s. ? The meeting was told that mere had been an 11 pei cent decrease in domestic consumption of electricity alter the 48 per cent bull tariff increase in 1979: The Countv Engineer. M> D. May. said that the dro[ was caused by consumer resistance to the increase, in spite of a report from, the association that there had not been consumer resistance. A request by the Rhodes

Memorial Home in Cashmere for further, concessions in the price of electricity was declined by the committee. The home had written to the council seeking help after the Government declined to help with the cost of converting from gas to electricity Conversion would cost $60,000. The meeting was told that he present tariff paid by the lome was a special rate for hon-nrofit organisations, which was between the domestic and commercial rates. The Rhodes Memorial Home already had an advantage because some homes were charged at the higher commercial rate.