IRISH POWER SCHEME

Hokitika Guardian, 19 August 1929, Page 8

IRISH POWER SCHEME

HARNESSING THE SHANNON

The great Shannon hydro-electrical scheme, which will ' supply power to the whole of the Irish t ree State, is now near completion, so far as its lirst stage is concerned.

Writing in May, a correspondent of the New York Herald-Tribune stated that the intake works and the power .ioiise had beeii completed, and the third of the inital set of three generators was being put into place. The full volume of water cannot be admitted to the headrace canal for some'months, as the sudden diversion jf the river would not only be fraught with dangers to the works themselves but might dry up . the old river bed and destroy the fishing, for which the Shannon is.'famous, as well as cause ii temporary stoppage, of navigation.

A FALL OF 100 FEET. A brief description of, the ingenious.y simple plan oil which tne whole ocheme is based will explain this danger. After passing fnrougli Lough Derg Liie Shannon flowed tnrough a tint country some 10 miles until it broadened out ill the estuary between the counties ol iverry and (Jure. VVnen it reached U ; Jirien’s bridge .t encountered • rock and turned to the ieiL, cutting a channel’in tiie soft soil oeven miles farther down the level ol one river was 100 feet below that o'i me rocky ledge adjoining.' The idea underlying tiip electricity seneme was to cut a channel on the higher level divert portiou of the water into this new bed, and so get the fall necessary lor the driving of the turbines. io obtain sufficient volume of water other works liad to be carried out to raise the level of the river, and for the full development further works will be carried out in the upper reaches o'f the river. When the water is turned into the headrace this canal will look like a great lake seven and a-half miles long, more than 300 feet wide and 30 feet deep. All this work has been done without injuring- the fishing industry or interfering with navigation from Limerick to ivillaloe.M' Consequently about 40 .per cent of the water reaching O’Brien bridge will still flow into the old river bed alongside the head race and the tail race. It will be controlled by a weir at the side of the intake works. At the side of the weir, a fishpass is being constructed, and when the new works are completed it will be possible for vessels of 150 tons to make the journey 'from Limerick to Athioiie.

ANCIENT AND MODERN MEET,

The purpose of, the scheme is, of. course, to provide electric current for the whole of the Irish Free State, and for fche six counties in Ulster, if-.and when the people tnere ask fojr it. In the partial development scheme which is now nearing completion the three generators will produce current at 10,500 volts which will pass into transformers where it will be “Stepped up” to ‘llO,000 volts for the Dublin and Cork lines and 38,000 volts for four other loops which will serve the other parts of the State.

The networks for the transmission off current throughout the State are now practically complete. The South Leinster loop' was the first to be finished, and current is already being supplied from the municipal power house in Dublin which has been taken over by the Electricicity Supply Board. Many interesting contrasts of old and new are being witnessed as the scheme proceeds. A transformer station near a thatched cottage is a familiar sight nowadays. The most interesting contrast however, is that in Waterford city where the transformer station is across the street from Reginald’s Tower, originally built by Reginald on the Dane, and restored in the nineteenth century . Here it is said strongbow married Eva, whose fair face induced him to join his forces to her father’s fallen fortunes.

THE PEOPLE ENTHUSIASTIC. There is no doubt that the scheme has captured the imagination of the people of tlie Free State. The erection of the network of transmission wires through fields and villages and towns lias brought the idea of using electric ity home t 6 the minds of all, from the cottager on the hillside to the factory owner in the town, and the orders for current already promised are an indicator! that the consumption will be sufficient to make the project pay. The scheme is administered by ,« State coroporatoin the Electricity Supply Board, not under parliamentary control. The board has already done a lot of work in the wiring of houses and the preparation of plans for the utilisation of the current from the Shannon the moment, it is available. It has power to take over all existing electricity undertakings except those privately owned and used by the owners for their own needs.

The board will be the only authority in the Free State empowered by law to to sell electric, current. It has alreadv taken over any undertakings owned by public bodies, and lias given notice of its intention to 'acquire electricty undertakings run by private companies for public lighting.

, The works,' were designed and constructed by the German Siemens organisation, and at one time 5000 Irish labourers were employed under the direction of German, Trish, English, Russian and other engineers.