Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume 
Brownlee Gerry: Questions for Oral Answer — Questions to Ministers Questions to Members 
[Sitting date: 01 July 2008. Volume:648;Page:17025. Text is incorporated into the Bound Volume.] 
6.  
GERRY BROWNLEE (National—Ilam) 
 to the  
Minister of Energy 
: How many litres of diesel has the reserve electricity generator at Whirinaki used this year? 
Hon DAVID PARKER (Minister of Energy) 
: 
 The generator at Whirinaki has used 35.285878 megalitres of diesel. For Mr Brownlee’s benefit each of those is bigger than a nanolitre by 1015. In practical terms that represents less than 1 percent of total generation this year. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Minister confirm that on Tuesday of last week the Electricity Commission published a consultation paper in which it stated that it may need to spend another $165 million this year on using the Whirinaki generator just to keep the lights on and that that would treble its budget for this year; and can the Minister further confirm that the $165 million will be recovered from consumers so that Labour’s midwinter Christmas present to New Zealanders will be an increased power bill for everyone? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: Madam Speaker— 
Hon Trevor Mallard 
: No it’s lower. 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: As Mr Mallard interjected the effect will be that the cost to consumers is lower because electricity funded in that way will have less of an effect on prices than the status quo. Of course the Whirinaki generator is being used this year. Last year it was not used at all—I think it was fired up on 1 or 2 days just for trial purposes—because we had lots of water. That is why one has reserve generation—for dry years. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Does the Minister recall telling the House a couple of weeks ago that the current spot price does not affect residential customers and that they should not expect increased power bills as Meridian Energy had predicted; if so can he now tell us how the levy of $165 million which will be met in large part by householders will lower their power bills? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: I can confirm that I said that residential consumers are not exposed to the spot price but of course the member is now ignoring the interests of commercial users some of whom are exposed to the spot price. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Minister confirm that the level of Lake Hawea—whose sole purpose in the electricity system is storage—is currently at the very bottom of its resource consent range and that the guardians of the lake are extremely concerned about the environmental harm that will be created if the lake goes below the 338-metre level which has not occurred for some 26 years; and does he regard that environmental damage—[ 
Interruption 
] Do you want me to start again Madam Speaker? 
Madam SPEAKER 
: No continue. But would the member please desist from interjections. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Minister confirm that the level of Lake Hawea—whose sole purpose in the electricity system is storage—is currently at the very bottom of its resource consent range and that the guardians of the lake are concerned that if it goes below 338 metres which it has not done for some 26 years considerable environmental damage will be done; and does he think it is acceptable for him as Minister to preside over that damage taking place when his Government talks so frequently about sustainability and protection of the environment? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: No I cannot confirm it as stated by the member. It is true that the level of Lake Hawea is close to the bottom of its normal operating range; none the less the terms of its resource consent that now apply that have long applied and that were approved and granted by the Environment Court state that in very dry years it can be drawn down by another small amount. Whether that happens remains to be seen. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Minister confirm that the Electricity Commission has also said it may need to spend a further $5 million to run a conservation campaign later in the winter and does this not mean that the commission has no confidence in the Minister’s continued assurances that there is little prospect of a crisis there is no need for a conservation campaign and everything will be OK? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: It is not yet clear how much of the funding that has been provided to the Electricity Commission will need to be drawn down because that depends upon hydro inflows between now and the end of winter. 
Gerry Brownlee 
: Can the Minister confirm that the overall picture for electrical power in New Zealand looks a bit like this: spot prices are the highest they have ever been lake levels are incredibly low thermal generation is producing 45 percent of our power needs the so-called reserve generator is guzzling millions of litres of diesel consumers are being told to cut back on their power use industry has already cut production we are reliant on an asbestos-ridden inefficient gas plant at New Plymouth and the Electricity Commission wants another $165 million from consumers to keep the lights on yet the Minister claims we do not have a crisis and says that we should not worry because the system is working? 
Hon DAVID PARKER 
: In no particular order yes and no.