HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 229, 22 June 1921, Page 7

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER

REMARKABLE RESULTS IN CANTERBURY GREAT SAVING OF COAL The Minister of Public Works has received a report on the operations of the Lake Coleridge hydro-electrio power undertaking for the year ended March 81 last. The report again shows satisfactory results. The gross revenue for the year derived from the sale of electric current in Christchurch and neighbouring districts was £51,373, as against .<£45,833 in the preceding year. The working expenses, owing mainly to increased wages and to tho more frequent running of tho . steam stand-by plant to meet overloading conditions, rose from £17,759 to £21,341. Interest and depreciation charges amounted to ■£•28,585. Tho net result of the year’s operations was a profit of £3447, after the payment of £7946 to tho depreciation fund to provide for renewals a» required. This profit of £3447 has been applied in reduction of the accumulated loss incurred during the first four year's’ working, reducing tho amount to £30,647.

The maximum power-house load has increased during the year from 9420 to 9880 horse-power, and the output from 33,010,130 units to 36,309,580 units. The rated capacity of the power-house plant is 8000 horse-power, and this plant has been running daily at a heavy overload, up to 20 per oent. This has been necessary owing to the urgent demands for power and the difficulty txporienced during the war years in making necessary extensions. The report refers to the fact that there is a large demand for the power at night (is well as in the day time. Many industries, such ns steel-smelting and flour-milling, are working at night on account of the shortage of power in tho day time.

The saving of coal in the various industries of the province by the use of the eleotrio power instead of steam power haa been very substantial. To have developed the 30,000,000 units in a large modern steam plant would have required the use of 48,000 tons of coni worth from .£lOO,OOO to £120,060. The development of this amount of power in numerous small engines, such as were employed in Christchurch before hydroelectricity became available, would have required the use of three or four times thia amount of coal, or corresponding quantities of oil, kerosene, or petrol.