A petition of more than 9000 signatures has been presented to the New Zealand Parliament backing the Dobson hydro scheme.
The proposal to implement the scheme hinges on a land swap, which would allow some flooding of land in the Ohau Conservation Area. The government had rejected the original development proposal due to environmental pressures.
The petition, backed by the Region’s mayors, says the dam could make the West Coast totally self-sufficient in energy. as it would produce 65MW of power while the region needs just 25MW.