BOROUGH ELECTRICITY

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 27, 20 September 1946, Page 5

BOROUGH ELECTRICITY

Erection of new substation ESTIMATED COST £7500 Following the receipt of a special report from the Borough Electrical Engineer (Mr F. W. Lysaght) the Borough Council has decided to authorise the expenditure of £7500 on the erection of a new sub-station for Borough reticulation. This step has been necessary owing to the dangerously heavy overloading of the existing sub-station near the Borough Boundary. In his report to the Council on the matter, the Engineer said that the object of this new sub-station was to handle the total power purchased in bulk by the Council from the Bay of Plenty Electric. Power Board at a pressure of 22,000 volts. This voltage was reduced at the sub-station to 3,300 volts. The reduced primary pressure of 3,300 volts was then controlled by a number of oil circuit breakers in the main sub-sta-tion equipment. This supply was then fed to the different distribution transformers situated at various points in the Borough. Here the pressure was again reduced to 400 volts and 230 volts. The former voltage of 400 volts being for power motors etc. and the latter voltage of 230 volts for lighting, heating, cooking etc. • In order to meet the increasing demand for power, it would be necessary in the very near future to rebuild the Council’s main sub-sta-tion. This sub-station was now some 25 years old and was originally installed to handle the output of the Council’s hydro-electric .station at 400 K.V.A. The Council’s present load (restricted) was approximately 700 K.V.A. and added to this it would in the very near future be increased to 900 K.V.A. i.e. a further increase was expected of 200 K.V.A. Should the restrictions be lifted, the Council would no doubt be- faced with the loading of from 1000 to 1200 K.V.A.

The summary of the total estimated cost was as under:— Extension of the 22,000 volt E.H.T. line £590.

New sub-station building £BSO. Switch gear and panels £3767 10s 750 K.V.A. transformer £IOSO.

Purchase of site, concrete foundations, fencing enclosure, underground cables and sundry equipment £1242 10s. Total estimated cost £7500.

The Engineer was authorised to proceed with the project, and further it was agreed to purchase a site in King Street, from Messrs. Armstrong and Co., for £2OO, for the construction of the new station.