The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JANUARY 7. 1929.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 January 1929, Page 4

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, JANUARY 7. 1929.

XOIMTi ISLAND POWER. SCHE.ME.S. It is anticipated that the official opening of the Wail-mieinoana hydro-electric si h• • 11 ie will take place early this year, although it will h(> some time before tne sysem will he working at big capacity, Originally in was contracted to nave .supplies available from Maikaroimiana in June next, hut, owing to the delays, at Araptmi. the work has been vigorously pushed ahead, with the result that original time has been beaten by some months. La Ice Waikaremoana i-. some 21)01) feet above sea-level, and mis an area of Id.(KID acres and a watershed of HD square miles of mountainous hush country. The natural outlet is at Onejxito, in the roe key and turbulent ' Waikarc-te-heke River, which becomes the source of power supply. pelow the main lake was an insignificant second lake. Kaiiawa. ine river has been diverted to this i..co. which has been greatly increaseil in area. From the enlarged Kaiiawa lkae. at 1700 feet, elevation. Die water

is taken by a twelve-foot tunnel, u 1 feel, in length, into the surge chamber

broin the eluimbor the water will fall through i*ilines to tho power-house, 071 foot below. The Jicrsc-iiowor developed will lie -IO.IOJ, ami may lio extended Lu 1 Considerable diiiioulty was experienced in Llio tunnelling work on account of the varying nature of the formation; over -KI.JO cubic yards Imd to he excavated, hut finally a 12ft. circular tunnel was completed and lined w.tli twelve inches ol concrete. Tho surge chamber, with concrete walls .‘JO feel high and a diameter of !()() foot, has a capacity o! a million and a-half gallons. Provision is made for a third pipe-line from toe cliamher when required. The pi, e:inc\s, locally manufactured, follow t-o distinct grades. The six-foot pipes were rolled on the job in special plant, and used up 1800 tons of steel; the full length of piping is roughly 0700 foil, iUe lines are anchored on concrete trast.es, and a unique engineering feature is that there are two quartermile stretches between anchors. Two small streams were diverted to make clear tho power-station site. The remained concrete station building, which is imposing in design is Ibfi leet long.

• - iLI I a height of (JO feet. Two 20,01)1) K.v.ti.. 11,000-volt generators, the .argest yet installed in New Zealand, are bedded on 30-foot concrete foundati.ms, and provision is made for the installation of a third unit. The generators are direct-coupled to reaction Francis type turbines of 28.000 brake horse-power, made by Vickers, Armstrong and Co., England. A LarnerJohnson six-loot valve will control the pipe-line How to the turbines. The installation of the second is now in hand. The overloading of Mangahoa is shown very clearly by the .statement of the Wellington city electricity department for the year ended March 31 las . During the twelve months the units purchased from the Government by the city totalled 2fi.fi00.030, am) units generated in city stations 11),081,13!), of which 8 029,805 were snpp'iod hack to ho Government during periods when Mongolian was unable t i meet the demands upon it. Thanks lo the two-units-to-one arrangements between the Government and the city counei! in respect of power supplied hack to the Government, the electricity department last financial year showed a not credit balance of t 51,017, after making provision for: Sinking fund, £7-121); renewal and reserve funds. £■‘l.lßß special expenditure, £72 - 130. Working expenses amounted to £111.352, and interest charges to £2'.),712. These golden years for tho c'ectricity department, will he ended wiien Waikaremoann is in operation, hut a considerable amount of city running has been done so far this financial year.