On 6 October 2024, the Government announced the Waitaha Hydro Project was included in the list of Schedule 2 projects in the Fast-Track Approvals Bill.
The full list can be found here.
On 6 October 2024, the Government announced the Waitaha Hydro Project was included in the list of Schedule 2 projects in the Fast-Track Approvals Bill.
The full list can be found here.
The planning for this project began around 2005, and discussions with Department of Conservation staff for a concession (as the project would be built on the conservation estate) began around 2012.
In 2016, the Deputy Director-General (the Minister of Conservation’s delegate) notified an “intention to grant” the application for a concession, subject to public consultation and a hearing process.
After public consultation and hearings in late 2016, in which 3,264 submissions were received (2,864 or 87.7% of which were template submissions from Forest and Bird), Minister for the Environment David Parker was ultimately responsible for approving the application.
In August 2019 David Parker’s office announced that the application had been declined.
In rejecting the application Parker noted that he was satisfied the effects on “birds, bats, lizards, invertebrates, vegetation, native fish, and other aquatic communities, sediment, and river morphology will be minor”.
In essence, Parker’s decision to reject the proposal was due to what were determined to be impacts on the “natural character” of the river and impacts on recreational opportunities.
Parker noted the access for trampers and hunters would likely improve as a result of a better access road near the track and improved access into the Waitaha Valley via track upgrades as a result of concessions being granted.
The decision to decline the application with regard to recreational values focussed on kayaking.
For more information on the use of the river by kayakers, and Westpower’s attempts to mitigate the impact on them, please read FAQ #5 below.
After the original application was declined in 2019, Westpower worked towards improving the proposal in hope of a reconsideration. A formal request for reconsideration was sent to (then) Minister of Conservation Poto Williams in May 2022. No response was received.
Westpower’s request for reconsideration was based on the following grounds:
Westpower and its partners are committed to mitigating and minimising the negative impacts of this project. Unlike traditional hydro schemes where the river is dammed, this run-of-river scheme allows water to flow downstream at all times. And there is no flooding of the upstream area.
It’s worth noting that when Environment Minister, David Parker, declined Westpower’s original application build the Waitaha Hydro Project in 2019, he said he stated he was satisfied that “the effects on birds, bats, lizards, invertebrates, vegetation, native fish, and other aquatic communities, sediment, and river morphology will be minor”.
The area of the Waitaha River that would be most impacted by the Waitaha Hydro Project would be the 2.6 kilometre stretch between the intake and the powerhouse, including the Morgan Gorge.
The Morgan Gorge has until now been traversed by very few kayakers due to the danger and challenging nature of the gorge – steep runs, fast flowing water, the gorge is ranked grade five plus. The Department of Conservation staff assessment of recreational impacts of the scheme accepted Westpower’s estimate that in the 13 years from 2002-2015, no more than seven attempts (successful or otherwise) have been made on the Morgan Gorge, and the first successful run of the gorge took place in 2010. Assuming somewhere between 100-200 kayakers use the Waitaha River for recreation over a two year period (based on DOC’s estimate of 50-100 per year), then perhaps one attempt at the gorge is made every two years.
In light of this level of use, Westpower is proposing about four “no take” days per year, or eight days every two years, where water levels would run at pre-project levels. These days would be confirmed by arrangement between a kayaking party and Westpower.
The entire Waitaha catchment is more than 31,000 hectares in size. The total footprint of this hydro scheme, once built, would be about 3.6 hectares – or 0.01% of the entire catchment. The scheme would have an impact on about 2.6 kilometres of the total 36 kilometre river – about 7% of the river’s length.
Above the intake and below the powerhouse, there will be no material impact on the water levels of the Waitaha River. Only 3.6km (of 27km total length of the river) would have a reduction in flow where water is diverted for power generation, before being returned to the river.
Regular flood cycles would still occur in the gorge, and there are plans for “no take” days where the river would effectively have full flow.
As a remote and wild valley, the Waitaha currently attracts trampers, hunters, and kayakers to enjoy the recreational opportunities the Waitaha River and Waitaha Valley present. In total an estimated 150 trampers, 50 hunters, and 50-100 kayakers utilise these opportunities each year.
When Environment Minister, David Parker, declined Westpower’s original application is 2019, he noted the concessions (permissions for building the scheme) will have “no direct adverse effects on tramping, hunting, and other land-based recreational activities in the area as access to these activities will still be able to occur. In fact, the improved access to the area as a result of the concessions from an access road being available for use by the public may have a positive effect on recreational tramping and hunting in the area.”
Through supplying renewable electricity into New Zealand’s network and increasing reliable renewable supply, the Waitaha Hydro Project would reduce emissions by displacing gas or coal fired electricity generation that would otherwise occur.
Electricity generated from gas (based on modelling and advice provided to Westpower) equates to about 594 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per gigawatt hour. For electricity generated from coal the figure is about 995.5 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions.
In a year where the expected 120 GWh of generation were produced by the Waitaha Hydro Project, as much as 119,460 tonnes of CO2 emissions could be avoided.
On this basis, the savings would be the equivalent of taking between 24,502 and 44,797 cars off the road each year.
The Waitaha Hydro Project would have a capacity of 20MW, with an estimated output of about 100-120 GWh per year – about enough electricity to power 12,000 homes on the West Coast.
The project would provide a significant increase in renewable electricity generation on the West Coast, contribute to New Zealand’s overall renewable generation pool, as well as bolster local energy resilience for the region.
The Waitaha Hydro Scheme proposal is a commercial partnership between Westpower and Poutini Ngāi Tahu (West Coast iwi comprising Te Rūnanga o Ngāti Waewae and Te Rūnanga o Makaawhio).
Westpower is a community owned power company, with 100% of its shares owned through the West Coast Electric Power Trust.
All profits from the Waitaha Hydro Scheme would be returned to its owners – the West Coast community and Westpower’s commercial partners, Poutini Ngāi Tahu.
Once the necessary permissions are in place, the total construction time required before commissioning the plant would be around 3-4 years.