Waitaki hydro consent now under way highlighting what was lost and what was gained

Lake Tekapo is the source of the Waitaki hydro scheme, now the centre of NZ's largest ever consent process. (Image: NZME)

Ian Llewellyn

Mon, 25 Sep 2023

One of the country’s largest-ever resource consenting processes is now under way, covering 18% of New Zealand’s electricity generation and bringing back memories of the environmental damage caused by the scheme’s construction.Genesis and Meridian have both applied for renewal of their consents to operate their eight dams in the Waitaki catchment, which have literally powered the economy for decades.The scheme started in the 1920s and 1930s as a make-work scheme during the Great Depression at a time when there was not enough el...

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