TEN-YEAR PLAN

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 19, 18 October 1943, Page 6

TEN-YEAR PLAN

Big Hydro-Electric Development £21,000,000 SCHEME Programme For North Island

Details of a “ten-year plan” of hydroelectric development, particularly in the North Island, prepared by tire Chief Electrical Engineer and Electricity Controller. Mr. F. T. M. Kissel, have been released by the Minister of Works, Mr. Semple. The total cost over the ten years in the North Island alone is estimated to be £21,000,000, and Mr. Kissel considers the’ outlay should be a sound financial investment.

The plan for the North Island proposes a very great increase, of generating capacity by further development of the AVaikareinoaiia system, and by the building of three more great stations on the Waikato River, one of the same capacity as Arapuni, 150,000 k.w., another of 100,000 k.w., and the third of 80,000 k.w. Another important recommendation is that long distance liiglitension power lines shall carry potter at 220,000 volts, instead of 110,000 volts as at present, for higher efficiency and economy. The plan has received the endorsement of Cabinet as the basis ( for essential power development in the North Island. Its prosecution by stages must , depend upon war conditions, world-wide find local, but the urgency of commencement has been officially stressed by members of Cabinet. . . . . Mr. Kissel in his report refers to work in hand at Waikaremoana, where the lower of the two present stations adds 46.000 k.w. to the North Island’s hydro capacity, and at Karapiro, below Arapuni, on the Waikato River, to add 90.000 k.w.. 'but, he states, Karapiro is unlikely to be in operation for two years because of difficulties over plant and manpower. Till Karapiro is operating restrictions will continue. This station will be an important step in hydro development, but thereafter, Air. Kissel states: "We must have additional plants coming into operation to give us about 40,000 k.w. extra a year.” It will be necessary to spend an average of £2,100,000 a year in the North Island alone. The position in the iSouth Island is not quite so acute, but there also the position is getting behind, and his estimate is that future annual expenditure may be £1,200,000. I 10 Per Cent. Annual Increase.

Any planning for the future, Air. Kissel has recommended, should be based on alO per cent, per annum increase. It will be necessary to have available for operation in 1'9'51 a total North Island plant capacity df 730,000 k.w. The present installed hydro capacity is, in round figures, 210.000 k.w. (Arapuni 110,000 k.w., Horahora 10,000 k.w., Waik'aremoana 72,000 k.w., and Alangahao 19,000 k.w.), so that 500,000 k.w. of additional plant are proposed. To provide some of the half-million or more kilowatts of generating plant, work

Of these the two additional; units at Arapuni will complete that station at 150,000 k.w. One of these units should be in operation by next winter, but though both were ordered in 1939 delivery of the second one is still uncertain. The three units to be installed at Karapiro will have a capacity of 90,000 k.w., but the lake which will back up behind the Karapiro dam will necessitate the removal of the 10,000 k.w. Horahora' station, the site of which will be flooded, so that the net gain from Karapiro will be 80,000 k.w. Karapiro may not be in operation till late 1945. There will be three main stations stepped down below Lake Waikaremoana. The first, Tuai, operating since 1929, is the middle station. Piripaua is below Tuai; at Piripaua one 20,000 k.w. unit is operating and the second may be completed by Alarch next. At the top station, Kaitawa, all the plant has been ordered, and work has been commenced on the tunnel and headworks. This work will introduce new problems in tunnelling through difficult country, the ancient slip which formed the lake. Later the thriceused power of the water from the lake may be reused in stations below Piripaua again. Air. Kissel’s figures give 345,000 k.w. still to be designed in detail to come into operation during the 10 years of the plan period. The Waikato System. The recommended plan of development in the Waikato system is a stage by stage development, by placing future stations between Lake Taupo and Arapuni : Karapiro, below Arapuni, will util; ize all the effective fall between Arapuni and the sea.

There are, the report states, 10 feasible sites for hydro stations on the Waikato River. Starting from the lake downstream, these are :—

•Such a system would use all the fall of water (totalling 1077 feet) from Lake Taupo to Cambridge, except for about 20 feet, and the grand total capacity from the Waikato River would be 800,000 k.w., or, expressed in water power, over a million horse-power. Each station would require a dam across the river. The present recommendation is that the "big three” of these potential developments shall be undertaken as part of the ten-year scheme : K.w.

Mr. Kissel has recommended that the first of the three new Waikato stations should be commenced well before Karapiro is completed and that the others should follow as the growth of load indicates the necessity. Concurrently with the above further Waikato development, he recommends, the Waikaremoana system should be completed : By lake control, by the building of the upper station (32,000 k.w.) and, if investigations prove satisfactory, the building of two or three smaller stations below Piripaua. Tiie total capacity of ultimate development of the Waikaremoana system would flien reach perhaps 140,000 k.w.. nnd the grand total for tiie North Island hydro stations (Waikato, Waikarenioana, and Mangaliao) reach 730,000 k.w., or nearly 1.000,000 h.p. 220.000-Volt Transmission. Mr. Kissel’s recommendation is tiiat though the centre of the island,' north to the Penrose sub-station at Auckland, and south to the main sub-stations of the Wellington area, double-circuit, 220,000volt transmission lines shall be constructed.

The power- lines from Waikaremoana and other main lines will remain a: 1.10,000 volts.

total costs —stations, power lines, sub-stations —of developments subsequent to completion of Arapuni and of the lower Waikaremoana stations are estimated to be 121.000,000, on which annual charges of £1,560.000 will accrue. The sale of the increasing number of units which may be generated ns the works come into operation will. Mr. Kissel calculates, return, with the full 10vear planned development. £.->.330.000. and as flie present return is £1,530 000, there will be an amount of £1,800,000 to meet additional charges of fl>s6o,QOO>__

is proceeding at: — Arapuni (two final units) .... 43,000 k.w. Waikaremoana (lower station, Piripaua) 20,000 k.w. Karapiro' (Waikato Biver) ... 90,000 k.w. 153,000 k.w. Waikaremoana (upper station, approved but not yet comme need) 32,000 k.w. 185,000 k.w.

Head I-Iuka Falls .. of water obtainable, ft. 60 Power available. K.w. 30,000 Aratiatia .... 110 60,000 Parariki 20,000 Ohakuri .... 137 100,000 Ariamuri 50,000 "Whakamaru .... 202 150,000 Maraetai 104 80,000 Muku 81 70,000 A rapuni .. . . 175 150,000 Karapiro .... 100 90,000

Whakamaru .... 80.000 Ohakuri .... 100.0(H) Maraetai .... 150,000 330,000