Damned if you do, damned if you don't

Farmers have been encouraged to save water by a raft of government-funded schemes but often their new, ef?cient systems draw more power from the network than those with older equipment, taking more dollars from irrigators’ pockets.

For Darlington Point irrigator Tony Toscan (pictured), energy bills have doubled in the past couple of years.

He installed drip irrigation systems to save water but now he was shutting them off because they were too expensive to run, he said.

Tandou, a large Far West NSW cropping, grazing and irrigation company, has also switched off some drip systems in response to power prices.

Another Darlington Point irrigator said the cost of his diesel-powered pumps was less than half that of his neighbour’s, who used electrical systems.

Network charges are soon to be locked in for the next ?ve years.

Country NSW’s network provider, Essential Energy, has submitted a pricing proposal to the Australian Energy Regulator.

Essential Energy said its proposal was modest and network price rises would be less than inflation.

The company anticipated an average price rise of $30 a household per year.

But according to the industry lobby group, high demand industrial customers, such as irrigators, could be dealt a savage blow.

“Should the regulatory proposal be passed in its current form, it will most certainly cripple the irrigation industry in NSW,” said NSW Irrigators economic policy analyst Stefanie Schulte.