KEY POINTS:
Meridian Energy is understood to have received an interim decision yesterday which approves resource consent for its $900 million north bank tunnel concept power scheme on the lower Waitaki River.
The decision is expected to be released today by Environment Canterbury (ECan), but has been made available to Meridian and was expected to go out last night to groups and individuals who made submissions on the scheme.
It is understood to be an interim decision which grants a water-only resource consent for the scheme, but is subject to agreement on conditions.
Meridian applied to ECan to take up to 260 cumecs (cubic metres a second) from the lower Waitaki River above the Waitaki dam for a 34km-long tunnel between the dam and Stonewall, near Ikawai.
A single powerhouse would generate between 1100 and 1400GWh of electricity a year.
If consent is finally granted, it would be subject to any appeals to the Environment Court.
The water-only consent would be the first step in gaining approval for the scheme.
Meridian would then carry out detailed design and investigation work so it could apply to the Waimate District Council for land use consent to construct and operate the scheme.
The case for the new power scheme was put to commissioners appointed by ECan - former Environment Court judge Professor Peter Skelton (Christchurch), environmental consultant Mike Bowden (Kaiapoi) and freshwater scientist and ecologist Greg Ryder (Dunedin) at a hearing in Timaru in August and September last year and in Christchurch in August this year.
The application for resource consent did not comply with the Waitaki catchment water allocation regional plan, prepared by a Government-appointed board in 2005.
Meridian sought a variable minimum flow between the Waitaki dam of Stonewall of between 110 and 150 cumecs, below the plan's minimum of 150 cumecs.
That brought opposition from a large number of submitters who wanted the plan's provisions adhered to.
THE SCHEME
North bank tunnel concept:
* To take up to 260 cumecs of water from Lake Waitaki into a 34km-long tunnel with one powerhouse generating between 1100 and 1400GWh a year.
- OTAGO DAILY TIMES
