HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

Dominion, Volume 15, Issue 66, 10 December 1921, Page 5

HYDRO-ELECTRICITY

THE GOVERNMENT SCHEMES REPLY TO MR. W. L. MOORE The criticisms recently made by Mr. W. L. Moore, A.M.1.C.E., concerning the Government’s hydro-electric schemes were replied to -by Mr. F. T. if. Kissel, B.Sc., A.M.1.C.E., A.M.1.E.E., Acting Chief Electrical Engineer to the Public Works Department, in tho course of a paper read before the Wellington Philosophical Institute on Wednesday evening. “New Zealand is particularly richly endowed with good sources of water power,” said Mr. Kissel, “and the question of their development is one of greatest importance both to enable the Dominion to develop its existing industries in the most economical way and to compete successfully in the world’s markets, and to enable it to establish and develop new ones that will help to make us more and more independent of the older countries in the supply of our own needs. The fact that there is an abundance of water power does not necessarily make the design of a scheme to meet the needs

of the country the easier, because it makes possible many alternatives which must all bo considered before a definite policy can be laid down.” The scheme of a supply from a large number of different sources of power <»f varying size as outlined by Mr. Moore was not now, and was one of the schemes of development considered by Mr. Parry, then Chief Electrical Engineer, i when drawing,up the scheme which had 'been adopted for the'.supply for the North

Island of New Zealand. In the first place it was quite impossible to take average Swedish conditions and apply them generally to New Zealand coalitions. His scheme involved the construction of 125 power stations, but it was certain that it would be impossible to find enough stations of the nature required in his schemes to fit into actual New Zealand conditions. Tho power supply to ttfb North Island was not <oue which could be decided on averages, but every individual case must be decided on its merits, and he thought that in practice it would he found that if any scheme of multiple supply were found necessary, Mr. Moore’s figures would have .to be adjusted to such an extent that they would be useless. OBJECTION TO SMALL STATIONS. There were a number of objections that could bo raised on general grounds to a supply from a number of stations, as opposed to a supply from a limited number of large stations. The total plant required to supply the same load could be considerably less if concentrated in a few large stations, inter-connected by a transmission system, than if spread over , a number of individual stations. This was mainlv on account of the diversity in Che load that would occur between

different districts, resulting in the peak load in ono place occurring at a different time than tho peak load in another. It was evident, then, that if the load in each particular 'district was to be carried by a plant of its own, that plant should have a capacity, with some ro spare to meet any demand that might be made upon it; whereas the plant in a largo central station was available to meet the peak load, or any special emergency load that might arise in any district connected to its transmission system. The capital cost on the undertaking thus became less on account of having to provide a smaller total plant

capacity; the capital cost was further reduced because the cost of plant was very considerably less when large umts were installed as against smaller ones, and the efficiency of t the large ones was greater than, that of the small ones. INDEPENDENT PLANTS,

Independent generating plants, added Mr. Kissel, would ..in the ordinary course of events be always established in the towns and densely settled localities, and as there would be no need of transmission lines through the more sparsely/ settled districts, such districts would have to go without all benefits of electric power, because the high capital cost of headworks would probably make anyl scheme of development for them alone prohibitive in cost; thus, although the country man might bo just as much in need of electric power, and could appreciate its advantages to the .same extent us the man in the. town, he would be tie. prived of any chance of getting it. A central station would take less time to construct than a number of small s*ntions of total equivalent capacity, anti so would be able the sooner to get into operation and dividend-paying condition. Another quite important factor in a country in the state of development ,N*'W Zealand had reached was that less nwn. particularly of the-skilled class, would 'bo fequir.ed 1 to install one large station than would be. required to install a number -of small ones. One of the most important advantages of a large ■ central supnly system ns opposed to a nunibe'- of stations supplying localised require-, niente,-- was that it would encounge industries, not only because of the lower rate, at which it would be aWc to supply, but because the plant capacity 'at the main stations could he increa»ed very considerably at comparatively lifHu affiled capital cost, and practically no added operating cost.

LOCAL STATIONS. On the other hand, local stations would be designed to supply the particular needs of their immediate neighbourhood, and in all probability if a new industry wished to establish itself there it would bo forced to develop power of its own. The fact that it would have to provide the'extra capital necessary to provide a power-generating plant would probably make, the establishment of the. industry impossible. That was particularly applicable to such tilings as mining, sawmilling, and paper nulping, which had a rather limited life in any particular district. An individual power station installed for mining purposes in one particular locality might be quite useless .when that mine worked out. and others were established in some other locality: whereas, if that mine were taking - ts 'rower from a' central supply system the. closing of a mine in one districts and I'l" opening of another in another distr’et would make, very little difference to l'ir system generally. The fact tlmt power was available generally throughout a <’’strict would thus make numbers of m'ning propositions able to be worked wli'cn could not possibly be profitable if they were called upon to provide special capital for power generation purposes for limited periods of operation. Mr. Kissel concluded, after comparing Canadian with New Zealand conditions: "Mr. Moore claims that by pushing local schemes in the way advocated in his report the people directly concerned with the supply of power would become actively interested in the development and so remove the political influence which he claims as n big handicap to Government undertakings. I fancy that the tendency would l>e rather the other way, and that not only would the adoption of a scheme for a number of small power stations result in continual political agitation for the development of local water powers proposed and agitated for by persons with purely local knowledge or with some personal reward in view, but would almost inevitably result in the adoption of a number of schemes which could only lx? financial failures. The Government proposal does not mean that all existing water power stations should bo immediately scrapped. eßasonably economical existing plants should always remain in operation, but the erection of new small on.ee, except in very

isolated, localities, should be discouraged and extensions made as required to the two main generating stations, where they can be carried out at a minimum of capital cost."