Board will manage Chathams power

Press, 27 April 1983, Page 2

Board will manage Chathams power

The Central Canterbury Electric Power Board has finalised an agreement to supply electricity on the Chatham Islands from June.

It was probably the first time in New Zealand history that one local authority had agreed to manage the electricity supply for another, the board’s general manager, Mr P. D. Rutledge, told a board meeting yesterday.

The chairman, Mr B. M. Faulkner, said that the agreement' followed up a request by the Chatham Islands County Council last year. In the first year, the, Power Board would construct about skm of distribution lines to link consumers to an existing generator.

Chatham Islanders were enthusiastic about the move because they were “pretty fed up” with their own generating systems. There had been problems with the diesel plant and electricity cost them between 35c and 40c a unit.

Mr Faulkner said the venture would not cost Central Canterbury electricity consumers anything. Initial

capital costs would be met by contributions from Chatham Islands’ consumers and from a Rural Electricity Reticulation subsidy. Running, management, and distribution costs would be met from electricity sales on the Chathams. Mr Rutledge said that a big problem would be the demand on the existing generating station. In the first year, 60 consumers would be connected, which meant that demand would double. Thp possibility of developing hydro generation in the future was being examined. There could be a problem with the lack of transport to the island. Few of the board’s staff would be involved in the programme and the islanders would have to do some of the work themselves. “It is a case of self-help to a large extent,” Mr Rutledge said.. “We are really starting from scratch. It is pioneering stuff.” Cass hydro A simple solution had been found to allay fears that the board’s hydro development at Cass would

put too much silt into Lake Sarah, Mr Faulkner told the meeting. The North Canterbury Catchment Board had been worried about the quantity of silt that would flow into Lake Sarah from the scheme. Mr Faulkner said that members of the Catchment Board and the North Canterbury Acclimatisation Society had agreed after a visit to the site that the problem would be solved if part of the water from the tailrace of the power station was diverted into another stream before it reached Lake Sarah.

The $200,000 station, which will have an output of 120 kW, will supply Grasmere, Flock Hill, Mount White, Castle Hill, and Craigieburn stations.

Mr L. P. Manion told the meeting that he was concerned that catchment boards were quick to complain about possible pollution from small hydro schemes, while they encouraged bigger schemes to go ahead regardless of the problems.