RELIEVING POWER SHORTAGE

Chronicle (Levin), 12 September 1947, Page 7

RELIEVING POWER SHORTAGE

CONSTRUCTION WORK BEING PUSHED AHEAD WELLINGTON, Sept. 11. . The constructioju of hydro-electrie works Avas being |)ushed ahead aiid classiiied as beiug equal with housing t'or higliest priority, said the Alinis.t.er of Works, Hou. K. Semple, in the House' of liepresentatives today in Teply.to an urgent question by 'Mr. W. J. "Broadfoot, who asked the Minister to indieate what steps were being taken to overeome the grave pr-esent and pr.ospeetive shortage of electricity throughout the Dominion, if steps had beeh taken to sujjplement supplies by t'he addition of steam plants, and ii" -an immediate survey wrould be taken of all possible sources of hydro-electricity throughout the Dominion. ■ " In the Xorth Island tlie second unit at Karapiro station is expected to go on trial runs at the end of this week, said Mr. Semple. ' ' Although troublb has been exjjerienced in the manufac-' ture of the runner of the tliird' machine in England, it is anticipated that it can be brought into operation with a temporary runner before next winter.* "At Kaitawa the work is well advanced but cannot be completed OAving to d-elays in the delivery of valves manufaetured in Auatralia and goyernurs in England. Meantime Avork q'n Llie intake is being pushed on. The delivery of the plaht is now expected by the end of November and the plaht should be available for operation early In 1948. "Work on Maraetai is now getting well under way. A good deal of the; pJant has already arrived in New Zealand and the first of it"*5hould go into' operation for the winter of 1951. 1 iim now .negotiating with the Vunnellers at Maraetai to work seven days w'eekly, 24 hours of the day, on a shift basis. "In the South island work is proecediug under high priority both at Lake Tckapo and Lake Pukaki. The greater part of the Pukaki storage should be available for the 1948 winter and the new Tekapo power station of^ 25,00(1 kilowatts, with the storage in; Ihe lake, should be in operation by the end of 1950. At Pukaki I also intend to negotiate with the union represeiitatives for working a aeven-day week^ 24 hours a day on a shift basis. A& additional 15,000 kilowatt unit Will also be available 111 the Waitaki power station for the winter of 1949. .Work on the new power station at Iloiburgh Gorge, better known as the Coal Creek station 011 the Clutha, will be starting shortly and the first part is planned to' be available for the winter of 1954. rhis job will be pushed on with all possible speed. "All inquiries indicate that there is 00 prospect of obtainhig large steain plauts any more quickly than hydro' plants. Surveys of all possible sources:

of hydro-electric power are eontinuallv go.ing'on and the ; dephrtment already has a large amount of information in regafd" to various possibilities. The heed, hbwever, for quickly augiuenting puf supplies of electricity is so TirgeJit that further staff cannot at preseut be sphred. to givc detailed attention to diA'erent proposals before the construction wOrk on tliem can connnence. The plans in hand will enable the load to be iacreased at least five per cent. yearly until the two inajor jobs at Alaraetai in he north and Roxburgh Gorge in the ■.outh, are in operation. Everytlung possible will be done to meet the electricity shortage but I wish to make it clbar that we are entirely dependent upon the abilify of overseas manufacturers to cope with the tremendous demand f.or plant.