Jun 27 - Dominion Post

Power companies are investigating an ambitious project to place underwater turbines in Cook Strait as an answer to New Zealand's electricity shortage.

Scientists behind the idea say harnessing the tidal currents could meet the entire country's electricity needs.

State-owned power companies Meridian Energy and Transpower are also included in the project's development.

In what would be a multibillion-dollar scheme, up to 7000 turbines would be anchored to the sea floor and float about 40 metres below the surface.

With a brutal early winter and record power use, New Zealand's ability to generate enough electricity has emerged as a national concern.

The project's leaders, Christchurch scientists David Beach and Chris Bathurst, believe the tidal currents could be harnessed to generate enough electricity for the whole country.

The scientists, the founding directors of Neptune Power, are investigating the placing of the submerged turbines in an area stretching over 200 square kilometres of Cook Strait, from its northern fringes close to the Marlborough Sounds to further south between Wellington and Cloudy Bay.

"We think we have the best site in the southern hemisphere," Mr Bathurst said.

Meridian, New Zealand's largest hydro-generation company, met the pair this week to discuss the scheme. The scientists will also meet Transpower, operator of the national grid, in the next few weeks.

A secondary tidal generation project in Foveaux Strait is also being considered.

Mr Bathurst said they would be in Wellington in the next month to talk to the local fishing industry, which would have a "critical role" to play in monitoring and maintaining the turbines.

"We want to keep fishermen on side. All these units are going to require tending. Fishing trawlers will be about the right size. It will be a profitable occupation, to contract to us and still have some system where they are still doing their own work."

He and Mr Beach would also make a presentation to Transpower, as the proposed areas for generation lay on each side of the exclusion zone that surrounds the high-voltage direct current cables that carry electricity between the South and North islands.

Mr Bathurst said the intention was to have the first turbine in place by 2008, but they were waiting for the completion of a trial close to the Orkney Islands.

A total project cost was still being calculated, but he estimated the power from it would cost 12 cents a kilowatt-hour, cheaper than new hydroelectricity or nuclear power (18c a kWh) but more expensive than generated power (7c a kWh).

The meeting with Meridian representatives had been "very, very positive".

"We talked to Meridian about three years ago and all they were interested in was wind power. They're having to change their minds at the moment."

The company is also behind a proposed $380 million 70-turbine wind farm at Makara to boost it power generation.

Meridian chief executive Keith Turner has said New Zealand's electricity generation is at the crossroads and he has supported Transpower's bid to build a new transmission infrastructure.

Meridian spokesman Alan Seay said there had been talks with Neptune Power and Meridian was always interested in looking at a range of generation options.

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