Rocky path for Wairau River power proposal

TrustPower has defended its proposed $240 million hydro-electric scheme on the Wairau River in Marlborough.

The company this week held two informal sessions with interested members of the public, including those with farms alongside the river.

The meetings were held after environmental groups, including the Green Party, attacked the scheme as being too big.

Farmers at the meeting said they had concerns over the project's possible effects on springs and tributary waterways downstream, and consequently irrigation.

Other concerns were how much water the scheme would take from the Wairau River and the amount to be left in the 46km stretch affected by it.

TrustPower has proposed diverting between 30 and 40 cumsecs (cubic metres of water per second) from the river through an expanded Wairau power station.

The water would be conveyed through eight canals to five small power stations located at regular intervals between Birch Hill and Marchburn, where the water would be returned to the river.

Between 10 and 20 cumsecs would be left in the remainder of the river, depending on the season, to minimise ecological effects.

TrustPower generation development manager Judith Magyari said the minimum flow of 10 cumsecs would apply only near the scheme's intake, with tributaries increasing the river's flow further downstream.

Some people at the meeting criticised the way TrustPower had managed its proposal and said it should have done full design studies before applying for resource consents.

However, community relations manager Graeme Purches said that was not sensible as it would have required spending a lot of money without knowing if the project would go ahead.

TrustPower had instead commissioned a series of feasibility reports to determine if the scheme was viable and would complete full designs if it received resource consents, he said.

TrustPower hoped to notify its consent application by the end of this month, later than initially intended as it had not gained the required level of support from affected landowners.

A new phase of consultation with them was due to begin this week and the company aimed to get at least 60 per cent on side before it applied for resource consents.

- NZPA