Power consumption falls

By CHRIS DANIELS

New Zealanders cut their electricity consumption by 3 per cent in the past week, showing that a 5 per cent cut in demand may be achievable.

The 5 per cent target was put up by the power industry and Government last week as a way of helping avoid power rationing this winter, should dry conditions continue in the South Island.

Power use in the week ending Easter Monday was up around 1 per cent from the year before, but had it not been for the voluntary savings, it would have been up 4 per cent.

Patrick Strange of the Grid Security Committee's Winter Power Taskforce said the level of power demand growth in the past year meant that savings were needed just to get back to last year's power use.

He said the amount of savings to be asked for next week had not been decided, but a 5 per cent saving was achievable without too much of a change in lifestyle, though big changes were needed to get beyond that.

* As at Tuesday, the hydro lakes were at 66 per cent of their average for this time of the year.

Of particular concern is the lack of Maui natural gas available for use in power stations.

This is normally used to back up the hydro generators in the event of low rainfall.