YESTERDAY'S POWER CUT

Chronicle (Levin), 5 February 1947, Page 7

YESTERDAY'S POWER CUT

-Press Assvciation

Further Warning To Save Electricity

By Telegraph—

WELLINGTON, Feb. 4. Witliout warning the electricity pupply was cut off at different times in all areas of the North Islahd today. This was'due to overloading. It was neeessary to make a cut of 20 per cent., smaller boards being cut in the. morning and big cities in the evening during the jmah period. The cut in the cities ran to about an hour and a-half Avith no power. In Wellington electricity was cut off at 4.B0 p.m. in Ngaio, Khandallah and parts of Thorndon, Miramar and Lyall Bay, by the city corporation acting on instructions from the idtate Hvdro-Electric ' Department. Other areas were cut off: at different times. Tliere were several reasons for the sudden reduction in power. For the past few days the plant at Mangahao has bcen out of operation for maintenance work. Oue power unit at Arapuni has also been out of operation. A steain pipe brolce in the power plant at King 's Wharf, Auckland, and it had to. be taken out of commission. Small auxiliary stations which re'ly on water power have a very redueed output owing to the dry conditions. The result was that the system was very short in generating eapaeity. . On top of all this the load this morning was increased due to overcast conditions in the northern part of the island, thus causing a considerable overload on 'the remaining plants. It was found neeessary to reduce the load througliout the North Island to within the capacity of tho remaining stations for it was not possible, to increasc the output as every plant that can be run in .the North Island is in use. 1 ' The position today is still serious,;" said Mr. A. E. Davenport, chief electrical engineer of the State HydroElectric Department. "The syplxous at Waikaremoana are being takeii ojit of operation in order to lengthen them. This will mean a decrease in the amount of power available until the extension is complete about the end of the week but this will be offset by the return tu service of the Mangahao and Iving's Wharf station, Auckland, rcpairs to which have now been effected. IIowever, consumers geiierally are urged to use as little power as possible in order | to avoid the necessity of cutting off the Isujipl.v as had to be done today. Coni ditious will still remain critical and the islrictest eeonomy in the use of power j available is neeessary if 110 further cuts are to be made." All boards have been wamed.that it will be neeessary to conserve power when work starfs tomorrow on the lengtlieiiing of the syphons at Waikare-