Greens warn of never-ending power shortage

5.00pm

Grim warnings that New Zealand will never have enough electricity under current policies were sounded at the Green Party's annual conference today.

Co-leader Jeanette Fitzsimons said demand grew 5 per cent last year and if that kept up the whole supply system would have to be doubled in 14 years' time and quadrupled in 28.

"No rate of building new supply can keep up with that," she said.

"And since the 'market reforms' of the nineties there has been no one in charge of security of supply except the invisible hand -- which seems to have given us the fingers."

Ms Fitzsimons said it was known 30 years ago that Maui gas would run out.

"There has never been a plan to replace it and everyone is acting surprised," she said.

"At the same time we have the driest year on record in our hydro catchments, consistent with advice several years ago."

Ms Fitzsimons told delegates the answers were the same today as they were 30 years ago -- build greater energy efficiency into technology, develop new renewable sources and use solar energy for hot water.

She condemned the Government for giving a $21 million subsidy to oil and gas exploration companies while allocating just $200,000 for solar water heaters in last month's budget.

"All we hear in Parliament are calls for drowning conservation forests on the West Coast for a dam, abandoning the Kyoto Protocol and burning coal, draining 70 per cent of our largest remaining braided river into a canal, going nuclear and lowering the levels of lakes at the expense of wildlife habitat and rare species," she said.

"Why is it that every time human beings stuff up and fail to heed the obvious warnings, the environment is expected to pay?"

- NZPA