The Government is considering the partial privatisation of
the country's major power companies, Prime Minister John Key
said in his "state of the nation" speech this morning.
Dunedin social
service workers expect a surge in the number of cash-strapped
families looking for help to pay winter-time electricity
bills that could be as high as $2000.
A 10C-a-litre rise in the price of petrol this year, plus an
estimated 2% rise in electricity prices and an increase in
interest rates, could leave some taxpayers struggling to find
any benefit from the tax cuts announced in Thursday's Budget.
Some people woke to a cold shower and others had to wait
until 10am for a caffeine fix yesterday when power was cut
just after 8.30am to about 11,000 customers between Gibbston
and Glenorchy.
Network Waitaki and the
Waitaki District Council agree that the most expensive option
for upgrading the electricity supply to North Otago is the
best way of meeting future demand.
