Green MP backs Coast hydro plan
Related Rivers
Giles Brown - The Press
A West Coast hydro scheme has been backed by Green MP Kevin Hague.
The project plans to produce sustainable power while also cleaning up a nearby river.
West Coast-based Hague said the Stockton plateau hydro project was a better alternative to the nearby Mokihinui hydro project planned by Meridian Energy, which would be "bloody-minded vandalism".
The Stockton project will divert water from the plateau, about 30km north of Westport, through reservoirs, tunnels and power stations.
Its planners say the reservoirs and tunnels will be mainly out of view on an area already affected by mining.
The scheme will use water from tributaries of the Ngakawau River that are polluted by acid runoff from mining. It is hoped the project will improve the state of the Ngakawau by stopping polluted water entering it.
"Damming the Mokihinui in the face of environmentally positive alternatives like the Stockton proposal would be bloody-minded vandalism. Meridian should withdraw its proposal, which is now patently unnecessary," Hague said.
The Greens were in favour of sustainable power but opposed to destruction of habitat, he said.
"Here's an opportunity where a pretty big hydro scheme is put in place with relatively little environmental impact," Hague said.
There were still some aspects of the Stockton scheme that needed to be addressed, such as possible effects on Hector's dolphins from its discharge into the sea.
Meridian says the Mokihinui hydro project would involve damming the Mokihinui River and creating a 14 kilometre-long lake.
The scheme has been opposed by the Department of Conservation, which says it would destroy native woodland and threaten endangered species. Commissioners are considering consent applications by Meridian after a public hearing last year.
