Hobart Mercury
Thursday 24/4/2008 Page: 9
POWER supplies will be in a critical situation by next March if there is not a wet winter. Primary Industries and Water Minister David Llewellyn said yesterday. Hydro water storages are at 18.9 per cent, the third lowest monthly figure since 2002. Tasmania would have to rely on imports over Basslink, he said. "If it does not rain this winter we're going to... have problems on a number of fronts, quite frankly, but next year around March and April will be critical," he said.
He said lie did not expect a wet winter after a briefing from the chief of the Australian Bureau of Meteorology in Melbourne. "He believes that the La Nina phase is dissipating and we may be entering into another El Nino phase which is the dry phase for Australia," he said. "I think we can expect lower than normal rainfalls into the future." Mr Llewellyn said it was hoped a new 200 megawatt power station in the Tamar Valley would be commissioned by March 2009. He said other facilities with a capacity of 400 megawatts would be available by then. Government was looking at renewable energy options including geothermal, private investment in wind farms and the burning of forest waste.
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