POWER FROM WAIKARE.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3901, 31 January 1929, Page 3

POWER FROM WAIKARE.

RELIEF FOR MANGAHAO. A little after midnight on Monday Waikaremoana took up its first serious running, and is to-day carrying a good part of the Hawke’s Bay load preliminary toj taking up Wairarapa and part of the Wellington district load, should that Ibe necessary, in the course of a-day or two. The first great turbogenerator, 20,000 kilowatts, has been running for drying-out purposes 'for about a fortnight, and last evening all was in order for a trial loading. Mr. I. R. Robinson, district electrical engineer at Mangahao, arrived at Napier in the afternoon to supervise the operations at the Taradale sub-station, a few males outside Napier. Mr. W. H. Gregory, resident engineer at Wlaikaremoana, was in charge at the station. The Mangahao power was shut off at half-past twelve, and, following half an hour of thorough testing by instrument and comparison readings over the telephone, the Waikaremoana switches were closed at 12.30, taking up the small night load of Napier, Hastings, and a couple of freezing works. The operations were completely successful, and Waikaremoana proved itself ready to take over part of the heavy demand upon Mangahao. Its power may reach Wellington city in a few days, .each step ahead being taken after thorough- testing. Waikaremoana steps in in time to relieve Mangahao’s falling dams, and the worries of the engineers and the Department in past years as to meeting the full demands of Government consumers are presumably at an end.