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The Waitaha River is located between Hokitika and Franz Josef.
photo: Google Map
West Coast Line said it was considering speeding up the process as part of its new push to build run-of-the-river hydro projects on the Waitaha River.
Rather than building dams or flooding, the run-of-river system diverts some of the Waitaha River’s natural flow through tunnels and power stations before returning it to the river.
Greymouth-based power company Westpower first applied to the Minister for Conservation in 2014 for a concession to deliver the proposed hydroelectric project.
Morgan Gorge is located on the Waitaha River between Hokitika and Franz Josef. Morgan Gorge is well known to whitewater kayakers and is considered to be Class V and VI – the most difficult and rare kayaking routes.
The application is Decline in 2019 The then environment minister, David Parker, opposed it on the grounds that it posed too great a threat to the character of the near-pristine area and people’s enjoyment of it.
Westpower CEO Peter Armstrong told 9:00 to noon The company has applied to reconsider the plan so it can receive a concession in 2022 and is still awaiting a decision. In the meantime, the company is considering fast-tracking the approval process.
“The reason we’re doing this is that the fast-track bill brings together concessions and consent, which we think is very useful, but just because there is a fast-track process, our approach to the effects evaluation is not fast-track, and we’ve been deeply involved in this project for a number of years,” Armstrong said.
He said the company cared deeply about biodiversity and that its biggest threat was climate change.
He said Minister Parker found that the impacts on birds, bats, lizards, invertebrates, vegetation, native fish and other aquatic communities were not insignificant and he questioned the impact on the intrinsic value of the area.
He said the Waitaha plan would not only reduce losses but also provide resilience to the West Coast, particularly in the event of a transmission failure.
He said if the Waitaha hydroelectric scheme Major grid emergencies in August 2021 It will provide electricity to several suburbs in the Waikato and therefore will bring benefits to the whole country.
“Our main supply point has to go all the way from Otago to Nelson and back again to supply us on the West Coast, so there is a lot of loss in this long journey.”
Federation Mountain Club president Megan Dimozantos said the proposed Waitaha River hydro scheme was an example of how the new Fast Track Approvals Act would undermine existing environmental protections.
She said Westpower’s application to build a hydroelectric project at Waitaha was rejected by Environment Minister David Parker in 2019 because adverse impacts could not be adequately or reasonably mitigated.
“Circumventing the environmental protections enshrined in the law is not only undemocratic, it will also cause long-term, irreversible damage to the environment, while actually only reducing future electricity demand.”
She said the area has remained largely untouched by humans and is valued for its natural wilderness, unique biodiversity and diverse recreational activities.
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