Clyde dam case presented

Press, 28 September 1982, Page 1

Clyde dam case presented

Parliamentary reporter

Electricity Division officials were called to a press conference’ in the Beehive yesterday to answer questions on their case for the Clyde high dam. They gave details on an Electricity Division report considered by the select committee on the Clyde dam. The report, which was published in “The Press” on Saturday, commented on the arguments put forward in submissions to the committee last week.

The Minister of Energy. Mr Birch, said that he had called the conference so that “both sides of the story” could be heard. He was accompanied by the Minister of Works and Development, Mr Friedlander.

“During the course of the select committee hearings, you were able to hear the views of those who were putting the submissions, but because the committee deliberated in private you could not hear the views of the officials,” said Mr Birch at the start of the 80-minute conference. More than 65 submissions were received by the select committee. Of about 10 on which further oral submissions were heard, only one

supported the high dam proposal. .

Mr .Birch said that the Government's position on the Clyde dam was well known. It was an attractive block of electricity, which could be used to provide resources for growth in the economy, foreign exchange and in employment.

As part of-.that, the Government had negotiated for an aluminium smelter for the Clutha region. Those negotiations were proceeding and the French company, Pechiney, was sending top management people to New Zealand in about 10 days.

“I am confident the.v will be successful ■ negotiations, but time will tell whether that project will be or not,” he said.

Mr Birch was answering criticism made by Dr Peter Read, who appeared last week before the special Parliamentary committee which considered the Clyde dam empowering legislation — now back before Parliament.

Dr Read, a British energy department adviser for 10 years and now teaching economics at Massey University, said that Mr Birch was determined to build the dam.

and was not examining energy options. The recent Planning Tribunal hearing had upheld the appeal against water rights for the dam because no downstream need for the electricity was shown. The decision was based on evidence heard in the 1980 appeal. said Mr Bitch.

“Since then the 1982 Energy Plan says the Clyde dam is essential to meet growth in the system,” he said.

The chief development engineer with the Electricity Division of the Ministry of Energy, Mr S. Wong, said that the electricity generated by the Clyde high dam would be needed by 1987 if the second aluminium smelter was built. If the smelter did not go ahead, the electricity would be needed by 1988.

This would be when power stations now being built would be .completed. A new one would be needed to meet expected demands. Total electricity consumption had increased by 102 per cent in the last 15 years. In the next 15 years, it was estimated that electricity consumption would increase by 60 per cent, he said.

To page 6