POWER IN EMERGENCY

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 73, 23 September 1930, Page 8

POWER IN EMERGENCY

A national policy for the provision of auxiliary power when hydroelectric power fails is proposed by ihc Minister of Public Works. The MinisLcr deems this to be necessary because of recent demonstrations of the liability of water power to fail. New Zealand has had several unfortunate experiences lately with Arapuhi, Waipo'ri, and Lake Coleridge. Earlier there was difficulty with Mangahao. The causes of trouble have been varied. There has been no common cause, and it may be many years before similar difficulties are again experienced. But the. cuttingoff of power is so disturbing to industry that some action must certainly be taken to prepare for an emergency. Where power systems can be linked as in the North Island—Man-gahao-Waikaremoana-Arapuni, and Horahora in the background—there is some insurance against failure un-, less the load is so. great that there is no margin to cover the failure of one unit. In the South Island, 100, there is the possibility of such linking of plants when the Waitaki scheme is.in operation. But if the load equals the aggregate capaciHy of all stations (here is no benefit in the linking, except that the * inconvenience of a breakdown may be minimised by economising in power consumption over a wider area. Individual standby plants, however, will be very expensive, adding greatly to the capital cost of the whole system of power provision. Whether the standby, regarded as a form of national power insurance, can be provided at. moderate cost remains to be seen. If it is likely to absorb the whole saving of water power it may call for revision of our ideas of hydro-electric

economy.