New Plant Will Secure Hospital Power Supply

By HUNT, Tom

All of Nelson Hospital will soon be able to function during a general power cut after its health board agreed to spend $1.8 million on two new generators, replacing an ailing emergency system.

A full Nelson Marlborough District Health Board meeting last week agreed to replace the existing four generators and upgrade the electrical system.

Health board emergency manager Mike Cummins said that because the board would lead any health response in a large-scale emergency, all its systems had to be able to operate at capacity.

He said the new system would be able to generate full power that would run high-energy-use equipment such as MRI and CT scanners, even if it had to cut down to just one generator.

Mr Cummins said a design and development process would now take place. “Firstly, a ‘request of intent’ will be issued for companies to respond to. Then there will be further design work done before tenders for the project are called for, after which the construction start date and completion date will be refined,” Mr Cummins said.

He said that during the recent storms, Nelson Hospital was able to use its water reservoir to supply water to the hospital, which took a “huge load” off the council supply.

“Another advantage of investing in this option was the potential for the DHB to run the generators and supply the mains network during peak power demand, generating revenue and reducing our electricity charges,” he said.

In June, health board finance and support general manager Nigel Trainor said that of the existing four generators, one was 30 years old and another was likely to stop working due to the amount of electrical equipment that ran off it.

Health board hospital advisory committee chairwoman Lynette Jones said at the time the present system carried a “high level of risk” and that if there was an emergency, a “triage” system would be used to shut off non-essentials such as lighting and heating first.

She compared the triage system, used to preserve power and stop a full blackout, with action taken in a household power shortage.

The board said one of the existing generators would go to Marlborough’s Wairau Hospital and another would be used for emergency power at Nelson Hospital’s neighbouring Braemar Campus. The other two would be offered for tender.

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