‘Needs of society’ demand dam
Wellington reporter The Clyde dam project would not just provide power for the proposed Aramoana smelter, according to the Minister of Energy (Mr Birch). The Government wanted an early resolution of the situation.
He was reacting to publicity about the High Court decision last week which upheld an appeal from the Planning Tribunal decision, allowing the water right for the high dam at Clyde on the Clutha river to go ahead. "The decision to proceed with the dam was made long before the smelter was a possibility,” Mr Birch said. The Planning Tribunal had considered the dam would be needed for the smelter. But. in fact, the high dam would be a valuable increment to
the national grid, as well as a number of other projects being considered., The Clyde dam was expected to produce about 1900GWh of electricity a year once commissioned, he said. By 1987, the commissioning date, electricity would be needed for the national grid and the smelter.
Preliminary work from the 1982 forecasts showed that the Clyde dam would be needed to fulfil increased power demands which had become apparent since the 1981 forecasts, Mr Birch said. The exact figures and an updated commissioning programme were now being assessed by the electricity sector forecasting and planning committees. These figures reflected the
consumption of 1500GWh a year in the third aluminium potline at Tiwai Point, as well as other growth in the electricity system, he said. “Now the Government is concerned that the building of this project is not delayed any further,” he said. "The needs of society generally demand that progress be made. “We will be seeking an early resolution of the options that are open to us to try to get this project going,” Mr Birch said. However, Mr Birch’s claims have been attacked by the Christchurch-based group, Campaign Power Poll, which said that if the second smelter was not built then the Clyde dam power would not be needed for normal South Island growth until the year 2000.
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Press, 19 May 1982, Page 1
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339‘Needs of society’ demand dam Press, 19 May 1982, Page 1
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