POWER STOPPAGES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4981, 31 May 1926, Page 2

POWER STOPPAGES.

HAURAKI PLAINS AREAS. EXPLANATION BY ENGINEER. At the request of Mr W. E. G. Willy, area member, the ’'following special report on the recent power stoppages on the Hauraki Plains was presentexl by the Thames walley Power Board’s engineer at Thursday's meeting:— During .this month, the report stated, there had been three severe gales, each lasting several days, one during the first few days of May, another from the 10th to the 14th, and the last f.om the 19th to the 21st May. The, system in general was very fre,e from main line trouble during eqjcb of the above periods except on .the Hau•laki Plains in the second period above-mentioned, when the maip line, supply to the; Plains was cut off frbm 7.30 p.m. on the 12th to 2.30 a.m. on the 13th, from 4 to 5 a.m. on the 14th, and on the western side of the Piako River from 5 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. ojn the 14 th. The; trouble on the 12th Inst, was finally found on the terminal insulators, at McDuff’s Corner, and these were replaced. The trouble on the 14th was found to be a defective switch at Hayward’s transformer. The unfortunate part of. the; business was that tests appeared to indicate that the marine cable at Pipiroa was defective, a t nd this was insulated. Actually it was not defective, but whe;n it was, cut out the real fault had cleared itself for a time, but showed up later. It was still assumed that the cable was defective, and on this account the duplicate supply that would normally havebe.en given was not made available. Another point that might have given supply to the Turua, section earlier was a further sectionalisation. This: wais: an omission, a,nd the necessary instructions have, be;en given to the responsible men in case of further occurrence.

The proposed arrangement for the 'feeding of the Hauraki Plains area should prove quite satisfactory. However, when the new 50,000 volt line is built between Bombay and Waikino ®. Government feed point ijs: to be established near Kerepeehi and the Plains will be fed from there. The present supply form Waikino is difficult on account of the distance and d’vj>endence practically on one 'feeder. The new conditions will be; such that 1 at least three feeders will be available, and the distance will be reduced to about one quarter. This indicates the improvement that will be effected so far as the board’s: own feeding is concerned.

But another most important factor is that the 50,000 volt Government line will itself provide duplicate supply where at present exists only so far as power available form Tauranga is concerned. Work has already started in the 50,000 volt line across: the Plains, and the Minister states that it is expected to be in operation by the end of the yqay. Mr Willy said that the trouble had been very bad indeed bn the Plains, and he was glad to hear the engineer’s explanation.

The engineer said that .the line from Bombay would make the Plajns one of the districts most immune from trouble.