Allowed Rural Reticulation

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 364, 27 November 1990, Page 7

Allowed Rural Reticulation

The rural Electricity Reticultion Council (RERC) was instrumental in allowing some of the remote parts of the King Country Electric Power Board's area to be reticulated, said board chairman Ken Street on Friday. Speaking at the board meeting in Taumarunui, Mr Street said while it would appear the council had lost some of its original purpose, it had played a vital role. The council is funded by power boards through the country which pay an annual levy, in King Country's case just over $19,000 for work in remote areas. In recent years reticulation had been completed in the Chatham

Islands, Stewart Island, Marlborough Sounds and the D'Urville Islands. General manager Peter Till said while it might appear the RERC had outlived its usefulness, he said there were several lines put up after the war, which were now coming up for maintenance. It had been hoped that the maintenance would have been paid for out of profits made over the years, but that had not proven to be the case. The law, as it presently stands.means the council can only fund new extensions and not maintenance but that was likely to change. Mr Till said individual consumers apply to the council. Representatives of the nine man council come from the Government, power boards and Federated Farmers etc.