It is now merely a matter of waiting for Meridian Energy Ltd, with a final decision granting the company water from the lower Waitaki River for its proposed $900 million power scheme on the lower Waitaki River due before Christmas.
Three commissioners appointed by Environment Canterbury to consider four water-only resource consent applications by Meridian for water for the North Bank Tunnel Concept power scheme concluded a two-day hearing in Christchurch yesterday.
The commissioners had released an interim decision on December 1 granting the four consents, provided issues they had with some of the conditions were resolved at the hearing.
That was done, and a final decision, certain to confirm the granting of the consents along with the conditions, will be released before Christmas.
The decision will be subject to appeals to the Environment Court.
The 15-working-day appeal period will start from when the final decision is released, but there is a "dead period" from December 20 to January 10 before the countdown starts.
Yesterday, Meridian came back to the hearing with a second draft of conditions for the resource consents, amended to take account of agreements reached at Tuesday's hearing.
It included a new section to cover the concerns of irrigators in the lower Waitaki Valley, who were worried about the effects the scheme could have on the future reliability of water supply.
Legal counsel for the irrigators Pru Steven yesterday accepted that the changes appeared to address irrigators' concerns.
It was "a substantial improvement" from the position reached after talks between irrigators and Meridian in Christchurch on Monday.
The only concern was to ensure the draft wording was accurate and the conditions were consistent with one another.
Yesterday, the hearing started later, at 11am, to allow Meridian to present a further second draft incorporating the changes.
Prof Skelton said the new draft substantially dealt with all of the issues raised at this week's hearing but some "drafting changes" might be needed to cover any inconsistencies.
North bank scheme
Meridian Energy Ltd North Bank Tunnel Concept power scheme
•Interim decision by Environment Canterbury on December 1 granted four water-only resource consents to Meridian Energy Ltd, applied for in October 2006, to divert, take, use and discharge water for a new power scheme on the lower Waitaki River.
•The interim decision came with the provision outstanding aspects of the conditions governing the consents would be satisfied at a hearing held in Christchurch over the past two days.
•The North Bank Tunnel Concept Scheme is to take up to 260cumecs of water from Lake Waitaki into a 34km-long tunnel, with one powerhouse generating between 1100 and 1400GWh a year.
•Commissioners: Former Environment Court judge Prof Peter Skelton (Christchurch), environmental consultant Mike Bowden (Kaiapoi) and freshwater scientist and ecologist Greg Ryder (Dunedin).
•Hearings conducted over 23 days in Timaru last year and two days in Christchurch this year.
