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is one reason why the New Zealand electricity supply is in such a parlous state with the hydro lake storage levels being at 50% capacity (June 2008). At the present time the supply figures are hydrogeneration 50% of the total, thermal (coal and gas) 45%, geothermal 5% and wind less than 1%. Power consumption is estimated to increase by about 150 megawatts/year.

Another major problem of power generation in New Zealand is that the large hydroelectric schemes are located in the South Island (excess supply) where the population is least. Power is transmitted to the North Island via an undersea cable at Cook Strait to supply the Wellington Region and lower North Island and sometimes to supplement Auckland. The major population and industrial region of Auckland and the Waikato are inadequately supplied by hydro schemes on the Waikato River, geothermal plants at Taupo and the 1000 MW coal-fired plant at Huntly. The region is thus vulnerable to power network breakdown for reason of not always being self-sufficient in generating capacity.

The power supply reliability to this vital industrial area is dodgy to say the least, there being in 1998 a 5 week power blackout in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, plus another major disruption of supply in 2006 and so on.

What is the Labour Government doing about it? Promoting and subsidizing wind farms all over the place but mainly in areas where there is already excess power supply! I hope the proposed Terawhiti Wind Farm at the back of Wellington gets blown into Cook Strait at the first southerly gale. The Government's Solid Energy scientists are employed on the bizarre task of finding suitable places to bury CO2 emissions from industrial activities (C-fueled power stations and cement works etc).

The planned development of any coal-fired power plants is stymied by the fantasy that the CO2 emissions are going to cause catastrophic climate change which can be prevented by Draconian cuts to emissions. Government officials gullibly absorb all the propaganda promoted by the UN's IPCC and the Kyoto Protocol, whilst gadding around on the global-warming bandwagon staying at 5 star hotels for useless conferences and thinking they are going to save the world from catastrophe.

Take heed of the sage warning of the notable American journalist H. L. Mencken who in the 1920's wrote: "The desire to save humanity is almost always a false-front for the urge to rule it".

The NZ Labour Government energy policy is a bizarre nightmare vision of becoming "carbon-neutral" by 2020. If followed through this will cause further economic disruption to the country for no reason other than to appease the loony left.

The electricity supply problem to the Auckland region is easily solved. Get the Chinese to built the latest technology large coal-fired power plant in the Auckland- Waikato region with coal supplied by rail and sea.

It is time for New Zealanders to wake up to the perils of the Kyoto Protocol and the present Government's Energy Policy, and change course to a logical, scientific approach to power generation appropriate for developing a stable growing economy.

Ends

Learn more about this author, Allan Taylor.
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