Karioi dam idea resurrected

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 340, 19 June 1990, Page 1

Karioi dam idea resurrected

The idea of building a 12 megawatt power station with a 350 acre lake at Karioi has been resurrected by the King Country Electric Power Board.

The board first looked at the proposed scheme in the late 1970's but it never got past the feasibility study stages. At that time compensation to the landowners could not be agreed upon. Board manager Peter Till said the water right for the project runs out next year so the board is re-evaluating the proposal and has met with representatives of the landowners, the Atihau tribe to begin discussions on the project. He said there may be a number of compensation possibilities available. The basic scheme plan starts with a diversion dam on the Tokiahuru river with the water channelled to a low-flow power house with two 500kW turbines. From there the water would pass into the lake, filling the bed of the Mangawherawhera. This lake would feed a canal taking water to the main power house on the banks of the Whangaehu River. Mr Till said the lake would be able to store water for up to 24 hours for generating electricity.

The KCEPB presently generates about a third of its power at its Kuratau dam, near Lake Taupo and buys the rest from Electricorp. The Kuratau power costs about one cent per unit while the Electricorp power costs about six cents. Initially power generated at Karioi would Turnpage2

Karioi dam idea ressurected

From page 1 cost about six cents but this would reduce as the cost of building the scheme was paid back. Karioi would be about twice the size of Kuratau in generating capacity. Mr Till said if the board decided to go ahead with the project and were given permission, it would be five or ten years before it was up and running. One of the biggest concerns with new power schemes now is the environmental impact so the board is looking hard at that aspect before going ahead. The board has employed an Austrian project consultant to work

on a pre-feasibility study and part of his job will be to find ways to minimise the environmental impact. Mr Eugen BurgerRinter said in Europe nowadays that aspect is the most important and that there are many more techniques for making schemes environmentally friendly. He said the canals, for example, can be built to follow a course similar to a natural river rather than through strait concrete courses. This provides for better habitats for fish and other wildlife, he said. Mr Till said small dams such as Karioi would be useful in future, despite the big

Clyde Dam soon coming on stream. He said by the time Karioi was built most of the Clyde

power would be soaked up by the cit'is. He said 20 years ago just five per cent of New

Zealand's power was generated from burning fossil fuels while today it is about 30 per cent.