POWER SUPPLIES.

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 5063, 10 December 1926, Page 3

POWER SUPPLIES.

QUESTION OF GROWTH OF LOAD. ■ n— REPORT BY ENGINEER. At Tuesday’s meeting of the Thames Valley Electric Pow©r .Board a, letter was received from the electrical engineer of the Public Works Department asking 'for a statement showing the load anticipated at various sub-stations, s.ay at the end of three years. At Kerepeehi, it was understood the load would be 1500 ’ k.v.a. The 'capacity of tra<nslformers at various points in k.v.a. was as follows: Horahora, 937, plus 625 to be paralleled; Waitoa, 1500 nominal, considered good for 2000; Waikino, 2000, - available 'for Thames Valley. Arapuni w.ould no doubt also be a point of supply.. That, required to be considered at present onily in so 'far as the board might-take, load from it and'relieve Horahora to such extent. It was important now 1 t,o mak© provision for future requirements, and it would .appear, necessary to decide very shortly whether to make ’further extensions at Waihou. or Horahora, or. to put in a new sub-station near Matamata. The department required any information from the boflird that would enable it to arrive at a deci 4 sion. , In relpy the board’s engineer, reported that the estimated load at the end of three years was as follows: Horahora point, 2200 k.v.a. ; Waihou point; 2500 ; Waikino point, 1500 ; hnd Kerepeehi point, 1500; “Undoubtedly,” the letter continued; “Matamata would be a better, point o'f supply than the present Horahora point. This point was asked 'for at the beginning, .but th© supply would only be given by the department at Horahora. Supply from the Horahora point has; been fairly reasonable up .to this year, but the load development of. the district, has. be©n such that troubles are occurring now due .to' regulation, and it will be N necessary very shortly for a feed point to be established at Matamata. This ■would, for the present, eliminate the necessity for a supply being obtained from Horahora power station, except as an emergency supply in case of 'failure of the Matamata substation. The increase of transformer capacity at Horahora would not b© of the greatest benefit on account of its long distance from the centre of load. The supply to Putaruru would be better .. from Matamata than 'from Horahora at the present time. Whfin t,he line is joined -through from Tirau to the washout at, Piajrere supply to Putaruru would be better from Horahora than from Matamata, but the distance generally would not, be advantaged as it would by having a feed-point ®,t Maitamata, since the present tap off for Putaruru is only about eight miles . from Horahora. The difficulty is that, _ futher supply from Horahora could not be satisfactorily given Without the expense of further long 11,000volt feeders. to the load centre, or else ■ regulators. . With the feed point at Matamata, supply should be, quite , satisfactory throughout, the> district, which would be suppleid from Mathr mata for a comparatively long period on present appearances. Supply at the Putaruru end should alsp be quite ■ satisfactory for some little time, for •some year’s, perhaps, though this is difficult, to estimate. When the. load increases sufficiently in the southern , - part of the board’s district supply could be taken possibly from Arapuni, ’ or else from some suitable point on the Rotorua 50,000-voit line. However, I do not think there is. any im--mediate necessity to consider this unless it affects the -design Of your "transformer station at Arapuni, assuming this is to be the tapping point, though it would not be the best from ".the,board’s, point ofcview. But it may* Im possible to delay installation .of this southern feed-point by. bringing . the Horaliia point into use again.”