ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20016, 15 August 1939, Page 4

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

POSITION IN WAIROA DEMAND FOR POWER ENGINEER’B EXPLANATION (Special to the Herald.) * WAIROA, this day. Reference to trouble experienced recently in connection with the electricity supply in the borough was made at the monthly meeting of the Wairoa Electric-Power Board yesterday, and it was pointed out that the trouble was not due in any way to the board’s supply.

Mr. J. R. Gillespie stated that many complaints had been made about the shortage of power, but the people did not realise that with the erection of new buildings the demand had been greater. The load was really too much. It was the excessive use ot the power this winter that has caused the position to arise.

Mr. E. H. Glendining said that it should be pointed out to the consumers that it was not the fault of the Power Board. They were getting the full service and any-fault or any shortage in the borough was not th'e fault of the board.

Requirements of Regulations

Referring to the question in his report, the engineer, Mr. C. J. P. Drewitt, stated that the regulation allowed the Public Works Department to supply the board with pressure at the lowest 2 per cent below, or above, the standard and the board had the same right in supplying the borough, co that if the pressure at the end of the board’s cables was 3234 volts it was in order. In effect, it had always been considerably above.

It would be seen, that the board was in no way responsible for the complaints of low pressure within the borough, but that it was ,an internal trouble depending on the disposition and capacity of transformers and the lines.

The engineer mentioned that Turiroa was supplied from the same transformer terminals and after traversing five miles of high tension and one mile of low tension No. 8 gauge cables the voltage registered between phases was 435 (normal 415) volts and phase to neutral 260 (normal 230) volts. Duplication of Line Recommended At noon on July 3.1, added the engineer, the borough maximum demand rose to 768 k.v.a., and at this demand the board’s cables between the substation and the borough receiving station would be loaded to the limit. He therefore recommended the duplication of this line to provide for future additional load, prices being submitted for the necessary cables. Cross-arms .were already erected for this service on most of lire poles and after consultation with the Public Works Department, who proposed their next Sunday shut down in October, he suggested! that these cables could be put into service then. The engineer was instructed Tro proceed wi'h the work of duplicating the line, and the finance committee was empowered to order the necessary material.