COLD SNAP STRAINED POWER SYSTEM

Chronicle (Levin), 22 October 1946, Page 5

COLD SNAP STRAINED POWER SYSTEM

«r - -Press Assfociation

By Telegraph-

WELTjIXGTOX, Oct. 2i. Wartiings wcut out to all electric supply aui horit ics in tlie Xortli Island today to stand by to cut tlie load if it continued to soar. Jf was tlie first time this action had to be takou since midAugust, which, it was thought, had marked the end of the precarious winter si'tuatlOTi. Undqr'lfhe infiuence of the cold southerly ' vVhich struck Wellington Provinee 011 .Sunday afternoon aiul spi'ead l'urt-her norlh, power consui'nption climbed rapidly. The Xortli island power system was 011 overload this morning. Oonsumers, without knowing how narrowly they were bal anced for supply, safely' negotiated the S a.m. period but a higher peak was expected between- 5 and (5 p.m. Thougli the situation had developed seriously, the aufhorities refrained fi'om issuing instructions for power cut-offs and mun aged to see out this critical period by making an all round voltage reduction of 5 per cent. Lake Taupo is now witlvin four inches of full storage, the highest it has reaclied since last November. There is, however, a disqnieting feature that foi eleven days it has not moved upward even a quarter of an ineh. Tliat is extraordinary t'or this period oi' tlie year. Meanwhile Lake Waikaremoana is still 8.7 inches below spillover. The deninnd for. electricity has .been in', rqcj^iitP^rpeks it ha&-*.beeii •viecess'ai^ td-^^wTfeav-ily v3n" Wa-i'kare-nioaiia storage to avoid a depletion of the water resei'ves in Taupo. Since the lirst -weeK of October the level of Taupo has praetically been stationary. It is most iniportant tliat full- storage be inaintained at tliis time of tlie year, with the summer months in prospect.