KEY POINTS:
Energy Minister David Parker says power blackouts are unlikely this winter.
Hydro storage is at its lowest for this time of year since the 1992 power crisis and the electricity industry has launched a website to make it easy for the public to check supply details.
Mr Parker told Radio New Zealand the situation was not out of control.
"(Blackouts are) very unlikely. We haven't had blackouts in New Zealand since the 1970s and I don't think we will have them this year."
In 1992 measures taken to cope with low lake levels included a power company paying large customers to use LPG and diesel, while Comalco shut down part of its operation, creating a 5 percent national saving.
The crisis was estimated to have cost 0.6 percent of GDP.
Since then the public have been asked to save power in 2001, 2003 and 2006 because of low lake levels, but each time rain headed off any serious problems.
Mr Parker said it was too early for a general public conservation campaign.
"Our experience is those campaigns are only effective for probably about a month, maybe a-month-and-a-half, and if you start them too early they run out of gas."
Such campaigns can save between 5 and 10 percent.
However he advised people to be prudent and said Government departments had already started power saving measures.
Big power-using companies reduced power as spot prices increased and industry and power suppliers kept in contact.
Mr Parker said the Winterpower Watch, set up by the Winter Power Group of five major power companies and Transpower to oversee electricity supplies this winter, was not a public conservation campaign but aimed to give information to people who wanted it.
A campaign might be needed within three weeks if not enough rain fell.
"If we get to that point we will be asking people to be more careful in their energy use."
Group spokesman and Transpower chief executive Patrick Strange yesterday said the industry continued to ask the public to be prudent with their electricity use.
"Currently the lake levels are around 58 percent of average, which is very low for this time of year," he said.
To reduce demand on the hydro lakes, thermal power plants are being used as much as possible.
Larger users have also been reducing the amount of electricity they use, for example production from the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter has been cut by 10 percent.
In commentary on the website, Mr Strange said the country was heading into winter off the back of a significant summer drought in the North Island and low rainfall in the South Island.
At the same time, the electricity industry had been dealing with numerous technical issues, such as the forced retirement of New Plymouth power station because of asbestos contamination and limited transfer of energy across the Cook Strait link.
"The whole industry is reminding people to continue to be prudent with their electricity use," he said.
The website had 50 tips on how to save power.
- NZPA
