HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 24, 23 October 1920, Page 13

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

EXTENSION OF THE SCHEMES

MINISTER SURVEYS THE

POSITION

NORTH ISLAND DEVELOPMENT WILL

COST TEN MILLIONS

• Tho development of hydro-electric P ,°Y?F " discussed by the Minister of i-üblie Works (Hon.',]. G. Cbates) in the annual Public Works Statement Tho Minister maltea tho following remarks:Ihe financial result of the operation ot tho kiko ■ Coleridgo sygtcm for tho year ending March 31, l£>o, has been still moro satisfactory than for tho previous years. The power-house load has been increased during tho rear to such a.i extent that at the end'of the vea'r it was carrying an overload of 1400 horse-power, or 17 per cent Tho revenue-' for the year was 215,891, and the expenses were as follow:— _ , £ Working expenses 17 759 Interest 16,803 Depreciation reserve 7,621 -512,24G The result of the year's operations is thus a net profit of i:3555 towards the reduction of the deficit on tho fonr previous years of working. This result is very satisfactory. From other points of viow the results bnvo been even more rotisfactorv. Tho output for tho year from, the'powerhouse was over 33,000,000 units. To' hnvn generated this in a 'lnrgo economical Bteitm plant using the class of coal nor available would lave taken 15,000 lons of fuel, worth from .£IOO,OOO to ■.£120,000. But. the steam plants that have noil ally been replaced by Lake Coleridge power were by no means as efficient <is is assumed above, and in practical running Ihoy actually consumed up to three or four times the abovo amount

of coal, or i(s value in oil, kerosene, and petrol. Thus tio saving in fiiol to tlio pullic of Canterbury- is probably in the neighbourhood of ,C300,0f10, for which tiiey have raid (o the Department i'45,831—0r, allowing for I lie distributing costs of the twelve retailing authorities, filxmt ,£UO,GOO. The shipping ttiut handling alone of tho above 4,5,000 tons' of coat per year (150 tons per clay) would btivo oeen a lnrga item. Electric-power Boards, The funotion of the Government in connection with hydro-electric supply consists essentially in the construction of main generation stations and the main transMission-lines and substations from which the power will bo sold in bulk to tho local distributing authorities The latter will be left the duty of leticulatiou and retail sale. The Government policy will be to throw Upon local organisations practically tho whole business side of the undertakings other than the primary generation, high-tension transmission, and sale in bulk five of tho Power Board districts already constituted have submitted their loan proposals to tho ratepayers, amounting' in nl! to ;E1,980,000. • This amounts to over a!2O per head of the populations of Hie districts concerned, and it gives somo indication of'the future extent and importance of the Electric-power Board activities. ■.'■•'

Them aro now seventy-one local elcctricsupply authorities operating in the Dominion, with a total capacity of 45,805 kilowatts, as compared with 43.899 kilowatts' last year. The demand for additional power lias been very urgent, but. the extensions liave in most cases wen (it-laved owing to the difficulty in obtaining 'plant, and materials. It is now expected that with the reversion to more normal conditions these difficulties will be overcome. Bach of the main cities is prtposing large extensions, The seven main local authorities have proposals in lu-iid which will add 33,500, kilowatts to their installed capacity—at a proposed capital outltiv of .£1,582,000. In each case there is provision that the proposed plant shall work in with the Governir.ent, hydro-electrio supply when available. Government Proposals, '1 ho main Government Bcheme proposed for each Island consists of a complete high-tension transmission-system connecting all tho main points_ ot'_ supply of the Electric-power Board .districts and of tho local electric-power authorities. These transmission-systems will bo' fed from three or four large hydro-electric-power sources in each case, and will also be connected up with tho chief existing local sources of supply, including both the hydro-electric and steam power plants already in operation.. Hence the urgent necessity of standardising tho system of electrical distribution throughout tho Dominion Tho main sources of supply selected for the North Island are: Mangahao (24,000 h.p), Arapuni (96,000 h.p., cupablo of extension to 102,000 h.p.), and Waik-aromoaha (40,000 h.p., capable of extension to 186,000 h.p,). In addition, supplementary supplies will be obtained from' Homhora power-house (#IOO h.p.), Wairau Falls (2800 hp.), Now Plymoutht Borough (ultimately 8000 h.p), and a standby service from tho iarge stoum plants at Auckland (ultimately 20,000 h.p.), and Wellington (12,000 h.p.). The construction of 'Mangahao is now well in hand. The investigation of tho Arapuni dam sito is practically completed, and work will be commenced at Waikaremoana forthwith. For tho main trans-mission-lines the specifications for the nintenals have been drawn up and tho delivuy of the poles' has commenced. Provided- that no undue delay occurs in the delivery of plant from abroad, and coil for driving tho construction plant is obtainable, and cement, tho supply from, Mangahao can be made ovailoblo within three..years. Tho construction plant at Waikaremoana (1000 horse-power) has been' designed to form part of the permanent installation and to bo large enough to . give a local supply in the meanwhile to Wairoa County and Borough. This construction plant should be m operation within two years, and the main supply from Waiknremoana within two yearn thereafter. TJlo reliability of the dations of the Arapuni dam. has now been fully investigated, and in view of tho Importance of the work it is proposed to refe- tho whole of tho data collected to. a committee of engineers for a final decision „ ~ , T ~ The estimates of 1918 for the North Island system (160,000 h p.) amounted to JC7;M,m. At tho ■ present enhanced costs of labour and material this will considerably exceed «nd the South Island svstem will probably coat alirost as much. The prosecution of these works at a satisfactory rate of progress will call for .more skilled awl Lulled labour than is at .present iwadiible; hut it is hoped that the eflor.s of rav colleague the Minister of luiuugution will result in the car >• arrival in New Zealand of a sufhcient number of "SIS of eiiosehemea already in operation, and the, ever-increasing dithculties in obtaining supplies ofMal and fuel oil, have combined to create an nsU widespread, *»^ U R jf''°n t demand i'or tho immediate develop nt of New.Zealand's water-power rosouiccs Financial considerations recmire that eohemes once launched «. W* to a paying stage as quickly as the ava able supply of labour and material will pennit. PP 9pecial oiheers, engineer., una other experts, together *$ J** 1 £» sary office, assistance; have therefore been, as I have already stated, to deal bpeu. ally with electric umlertnkingi. II» whole oT tho energies ot these oihceis ill le concentrat/d on the comp)e on of the schemes, and on the ««f ™T and tho assisting of the v™*J**™> and other dUtrißtttiiig uutoriUes. --« circumstances require, their nuraheii will be a'ddM to. Further legislation dealing with hydrq-elcetrio ma tore s under careful cons«ler.n*ioii. . X« the meantime it to proposed to *' Jf ™ advlsorv Hoard consisting of !»»""»» «** of slnniling to advise fne Govern «nt on various questions connected with Hie business management of its power undertakings, and on questions of policj m connection with We development, dißtributton, and sale of hydro-eteotrio power. .