Tenders Being Called For Whakamaru Equipment

Chronicle (Levin), 4 October 1949, Page 7

Tenders Being Called For Whakamaru Equipment

Press Assbeiatinn) 1

(Per

AUCKLAND, Oct. 3. j Tenders for the equipment for the i 100,000 kilowatt generating station to j be built at Whakamaru on the Wai- i kafo E.iver -above Maraetai, are to be j called by the Government this week. j This has been announced by the Minis- ; j ter of Works, Mr Semple, who said that, ] at the same time tenders would be cali- 1 ed for the plan for the Roxburgh I scheme in Otago. This had been approv- j ed by Cabinet. A concrete gravity dam about 900feet long, flanked by earth dams, is to be built at Whakamaru. The dam wili ">e 180 feet high from its foundations. The powerhouse, set across the river immediately below the dam, will con tain four generating ^inits each of • 25,000 kilowatts. They will be driven by turbines. An unusual feature as far as North' tsland hydro-electric power schemes are eoncerned, will be the diversion of the Waikato River during the building of : . the dam, through an open cut instead of a diversion tunnel. This cut will bif 65 feet deep with a width at the bottom of 25 ^feet extending to about 40 , feet at the top. It will be 800 feet long and in the final stages the spillway. from the new lake will lead into it. As at Karapiro, the roadway will . cross. the dam. This vvill give access to the Mangakino construction tovvnship fo-. the Maraetai scheme where the work ers on the Whakamaru dam will con tinue to be housed. The lake to be forrm ed behihd the dam will bank up as far • as Atiamuri. The General-Manager of the State Hydro-Electric Department, "Mr Davenport, said recently in Auckland that it was estimated that Whakamaru would need to be in operation by 1955.