Although Contact Energy is providing a predictable hedge
against an unpredictable future by saying it cannot
definitively rule out future exploration of potential
hydro-electricity projects on the Clutha River, on Tuesday it
confirmed these are being shelved for the foreseeable future.
Contact Energy's salmon smolt release programme is starting
to pay off as anglers begin to catch some of the returning
fish, Otago Fish and Game environmental officer Peter Wilson
says.
Contact Energy says it can no longer permit construction of a
whitewater kayak play park in the Hawea River this year
because of water levels and electricity demand in the region,
but will still fund the work when conditions improve.
The Hawea River has been temporarily reduced to well below
its usual minimum permitted flow this week in preparation for
the construction of a long-awaited whitewater kayak play
park.
Contact Energy has
signalled delays in its plans for further hydro development
on the Clutha River, saying the project is on the "back
burner" and other developments have greater priority.
Electricity company Contact Energy came in for criticism
yesterday for not providing enough detail in the outlook
contained in its interim profit announcement.
Drought conditions in the south of the South Island have
taken their toll on Contact Energy's earnings, prompting the
major hydro-electricity generator to report an 18.7 percent
drop in its net profit for the first half to December 31.
In the wake of the Project Hayes decision, it is business as
usual for Contact Energy, weighing up options for hydro
development on the Clutha River, and Pioneer Generation,
looking at small-scale wind farms.
