Chatham Islands
I’m recently back from the Chatham Islands, privileged to have stayed with Ian McFarlane (CEO, Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust) for a week. Staying with Ian meant I saw places and met people I wouldn’t have otherwise. I take this opportunity to thank my kind and generous host.
The Chatham Islands are in an invidious position when one considers peak oil, continuing instability in the oil-producing regions, and rising barrel prices. Burning around 1500 litres of diesel a day to generate electricity is pushing prices as high as .75 cents a unit with attendant social consequences. It also leaves the islanders totally exposed to the risk that fuel prices could rise at any time. The previous government encouraged the Chatham Islands Enterprise Trust (CIET) and Chatham Islands Electricity Co (CIEL) to pursue a feasibility study for a $20m hydro scheme on the Te Awainanga river that would have gone a long way to meeting the island’s demand. Now that scheme has been dropped, leaving the Trust and the Electricity Co to wear the unrecoverable costs of the feasibility study. While wind is now the preferred flavour of renewable, and two turbines are ordered, my focus here is on the hydro opportunities which are not entirely shelved.
Te Awainanga lower waterfall
The plan now is to build a 2-meter dam at the lowest of the three Te Awainanga waterfalls, and install a 55kW turbine. By achieving this with (comparatively) low levels of funding it is hoped to build confidence and attract funding to go up to the next waterfall, and one day to the third and highest of the three (not pictured here).
Ian at Te Awainanga middle falls
Small is beautiful, one has to say, and the environmental impact is likely to be less than the abandoned big scheme. A fourth waterfall on the Mungahou (pictured below) also has hydro potential.
Mangahou falls
When I spoke to Terry Tuanui (Chairman, Chatham Islands Electricity) about the destruction of what I saw as valuable tourism assets (these incrediby lovely waterfalls) it cut little ice. “We have more urgent problems to solve here before we start worrying about tourism,” Terry said (or words to that effect). The waterfall at Mungahou is one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the opportunity to visit, but it’s worth 100kW for 9 months of the year to the islanders. Sadly, but understandably, there is little sentiment lost over a bit of eye candy.