Media release July 5, 2007

Electricity Commission decision is wrong!

The Electricity Commission released their split final decision today that they will approve Transpower’s revised grid upgrade proposal to build a new transmission line of 70 metre pylons from Auckland to Whakamaru.

“This decision will in fact reduce Auckland’s security of supply by putting all of the supply to Auckland in one huge, high risk line” says Bob McQueen, a spokesman for the New Era Energy group opposed to Transpower’s proposal. “Three of the four Electricity Commission members ignored the overwhelming evidence presented to their public hearings that there are cheaper and better alternatives to the bloated Transpower proposal which could ensure the security of electricity supply to Auckland. The Electricity Commission appears to have been inappropriately directed to approve this proposal by Government, rather than following the guidelines for its independent decision-making laid down by law”.

Only one commissioner, Graham Pinnell, voted against approving the line and said why in his minority opinion. He will likely pay the price of voicing dissent in the face of huge Government influence by being sacked like Roy Hemmingway was last year.

All of New Zealand’s electricity customers, including major industrial users outside Auckland, will wind up paying much more on their power bills for the billion dollar cost of this white elephant proposal, which will not bring a single kilowatt of new generation capacity into Auckland to provide the security for its future electricity needs.

“What the Electricity Commission has failed to do, perhaps under ‘think big’ political influence from the Government, is to fairly weigh the cost of this proposal against much cheaper and less disruptive alternatives. The real solution to security of supply of electricity to Auckland is to quickly upgrade existing lines, and then fast track current generation proposals by Contact, Genesis and others to build new generation capacity in or north of Auckland.”

The processes that the Electricity Commission took to arrive at today’s decision can be challenged through a judicial review, which could examine whether the Commission executed its duties according to the laws and rules that govern its decision making processes.

The Transpower proposal still needs to obtain approval through resource management processes, and there is much that will be revealed in that process about the EMF health dangers and environmental pollution of this giant line, and whether this proposal is the best from an environmental perspective.

“Whether the Government will seek to corrupt an independent and fair hearing on the environmental and health factors of this line, as they have corrupted the independence of the Electricity Commission by sacking former Chairman Roy Hemmingway, is still to be seen. The environmental hearings are expected to begin in the next few months, and will be vigorously opposed by many parties.”, says McQueen

“This is a disappointing decision, but not the end of the battle”, says McQueen. “We too want to see a secure and economic solution for the supply of electricity to Auckland, but the Transpower proposal is an expensive and obtrusive white elephant that will in fact reduce security of supply. We will battle on!”

Further information:
http://notowers.co.nz

ENDS

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