Electricity is in the news at the moment. It’s the middle of winter, and some parts of New Zealand are very cold. Do we have enough electricity in this country to keep us warm this winter or in the future?
For the past 43 years, the Cook Strait power cable has carried power under the sea, usually from the South Island to the North Island. This year, electricity is going from the north to the south because the South Island lakes – Lakes Tekapo and Pukaki – don’t have enough water in them. We have not had enough rain or enough snow melting from the mountains last spring. Most of the electricity in the South Island comes from hydro – from lakes, rivers and canals. To make matters worse, a part of the Cook Strait cable is now shut down because it is damaged.
The electricity company, Meridian Energy, wants to build 176 wind turbines in Central Otago, about 70km northwest of Dunedin. The electricity from these turbines could provide enough power for 263,000 homes. In 2004, Meridian had to give up a plan to build 6 new dams on the Waitaki River, about 130km north of Dunedin, because too many people protested about the damage this would cause to the river. People said, “We don’t want more dams. Give us wind energy.”
Now, people who live in Central Otago, near the hills where the wind turbines will go, are protesting. They say the turbines are visual pollution; the turbines will spoil the view of these beautiful hills. They also think that wind turbines are noisy and heavy machinery will damage the plants on the hills while they are building the turbines.
Meridian Energy had to apply for Resource Consent to the Central Otago District Council. The council gave permission for the turbines in October last year. Some famous people live near those hills and they do not want these turbines. The artist, Grahame Sydney, the poet Brian Turner and two ex-All Black captains, Anton Oliver and David Kirk are all leading a protest. They, and others, have appealed the Resource Consent, and the Environment Court is hearing this appeal at the moment.
Grahame Sydney said it is time to think of building a nuclear power plant in New Zealand. |