BAY'S POWER `STANDBY' CARRYING FULLTIME LOAD
21 May 2008
by Roger Moroney
The ``stand-by'' Whirinaki Power Station north of Napier appears set to become a near full-time contributor to the national grid, judging by recent usage figures.
In January this year, the station clicked into operation on 12 days - the six Pratt and Whitney jet turbine engines consuming 1,171,252 litres of diesel.
While it only operated for eight days in February, usage has surged upwards since then.
March saw 12 days of operation, while last month, as the cooler weather began to bite, the station operated on 20 days.
Total diesel usage for April was 2,788,141 litres - with the total for the first four months of the year coming to 10,402,704 litres.
The cost at the pump equates to $16,228,218.
In the first few months of last year, the station was relatively dormant - operating on only two days.
Its expanded use this year has prompted outrage from National's energy spokesman, Gerry Brownlee, who has accused Labour of failing to ``future-proof our energy sector''.
The Whirinaki Power Station was commissioned in 2004 after the government established the Electricity Commission. One of its main aims was to improve security of supply.
The Hawke's Bay plant was purchased as an addition to the commission's portfolio of reserve energy.
The plant is activated when electricity supply hits what is called the min-zone.
The min-zone is reached when the minimum level of hydro storage in the lakes required to meet demand is breached - and when all other available thermal plants are running at full capacity.
It also switches on when electricity spot prices hit $200 per megawatt per hour.
Lake Taupo and South Island lake levels are low at present and some analysts predict the situation will not improve until the late spring thaw.
Power cuts are inevitable, some believe, although the government has so far taken an optimistic approach, saying the electricity situation is under control.
Copyright 2008 APN New Zealand Ltd - Regionals. All Rights Reserved
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