Landowners reject Transpower route announcement

Landowners reject Transpower route announcement

Landowners and communities are strongly rejecting Transpower's announcement today of its preferred route for a 400kV transmission line from the central North Island to Auckland.

New Era Energy, the umbrella organisation for 12 local action groups opposed to Transpower's 400kV line proposal, today restated its commitment to ensuring New Zealand achieved a better outcome than the cheap and harmful option being pursued by Transpower.

'We are very concerned that Transpower is continuing to waste huge sums of money pressing on with their 400kV proposal despite increasing evidence that this is the worst way forward for New Zealand's long-term energy transmission security,' said NEE deputy chair Bob McQueen. 'We have no doubt that the Electricity Commission, in its broadened scope for investigation of alternatives to this line, will conclude in the next few months that Ralph Craven's proposal should be rejected or deferred.'

Bob McQueen said there will be little effect on their opposition to the proposal in spite of Transpower's route announcement.

'The landowners and communities we represent are standing absolutely united on this, regardless of whether they are on the 'preferred' route or not. The sham of choosing between two supposed optional routes never addressed the real issues, and was only staged to provide a veneer of 'consultation'. We're fighting this because this proposal will be a disaster for all of New Zealand, from the perspectives of security of supply, health and environmental impact.'

NEE is also angry that Transpower has given the public less than three weeks to make submissions in response to the route announcement. Bob McQueen said NEE members will be asking for a six month extension to the submission period and a true consultation process.

'No one could claim this process is genuine consultation,' he said. 'Transpower's processes and timing for consideration of submissions are ludicrous ' and it has said submitters will not have any questions answered.'

Action group members will today begin erecting Notices to Transpower on their properties, advising Transpower of specific points of opposition, refusing access until reasonable conditions are met, and stating their intention to refuse the granting of any easement, their intention to refuse to sell land to Transpower, and promising the use all legal means available to fight land seizure.

ENDS

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