Cold snap may lengthen cuts

Press, 7 December 1988, Page 8

Cold snap may lengthen cuts

Christchurch may be left without electricity for longer than expected today if a predicted southerly change lowers temperatures. It will be a taste of what consumers can expect on Wednesday next week when Electricorp industrial action will reduce city power even further to a fraction of its normal level.

According to Mr Graham Hodge, of the Municipal Electricity Department, today’s reduction in power to just more than half normal should see rotating cuts of no more than two hours. It will affect consumers in suburbs north of Cathedral Square from about 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Suburbs south of the Square will have power maintained although it too will be cut as demand increases.

The central city should have power all day. Mr Hodge said meteorological information suggested Christchurch could

be hit by a cold southerly change today, which would increase demand.

"That means that more areas could be turned off than predicted,” he said. The two-hour maximum cuts could also increase.

Queen Elizabeth II Park has been forced to shut its indoor pools during the pow’er cuts because there will be insufficient lighting to keep it open safely. Other outdoor pools in the city are uncertain if they will have to close. If temperatures were high hygiene levels would drop without electrically-driven filtration equipment working.

Telecommunications, including facsimile messages, could be disrupted.

The cuts will occur nationally and people sending messages cannot be certain if the receiver will have power. Wandering stock might also be a problem. With electric fences not working and water troughs ser-

viced by electric pumps running dry, stock might wander in search of water.

Rural areas have been warned to expect power cuts for up to eight hours, according to the North and South Canterbury electric power boards.

The cuts are the result of workers’ industrial action over pay offers from Electricorp of between 1.2 and 2.2 per cent.

If the action continues into next week the cuts will be more severe. Workers have indicated that only 64 megawatts will be supplied next Wednesday.

Christchurch’s normal demand peaks at 200 to 210 megawatts. Mr Hodge said the M.E.D. was not sure how it would maintain supply to even the central city area, with levels as low as 64 megawatts. Emergency services and hospitals have been warned and are in touch with the department over procedures