POWER FAILURE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LX, Issue 157, 3 June 1940, Page 6

POWER FAILURE

TRANSFORMER EXPLOSION. DISTRICT SUPPLY REDUCED When one of two banks of six trans’formers each, at Bunnythorpe, developed trouble on Saturday evening there was a total stoppage in the. electrical supply to the city and district for a few minutes. The explosion of the transformers was heard all over the Bunnythorpe district. As a result of the trouble, the flow of power which the Public Works Department could .supply to the Manu-watu-Oroua Power Board, which in turn supplies the city, was reduced by Half. The Diesel engines at the city power house were set running as soon as possible, but even then there had to be a cut of one-third in the available supply. . raced with the necessity of reducing the total load in such a manner, as to cause the least possible interference with noymal activities, the. City Council authorities, having been called on by the Power Board to take sucn action, put out the street lights. Witli the necessity of supplying private homes it was unavoidable that the street liglits could not be switched on again for a little over two hours. By that time the total load had been reduced in other directions and advice was received from the. Power Board that the street lighting could be restored. The city normally at that time of the evening requires about idW k.v.a. and the Diesel plant- on being started, carried 2000 k.v.a.. About 1200 k.v.a. 'of water-heating load in the city had to be cut off, which, plusAne street lighting, brought the load back to between 1000 and 1100 k.v.a., giving a reduction in the demand on the Power. Board of about 3200 k.v.a. ■ . As the result of appeals to. the public and following telephone contacts with major consumers the load was reduced very materially in other directions The Power Board received considerable help from the freezing works at Aorangi and Longburn and the Air Force Station at Ohakea. Water heaters were also cut off. Appreciation of the assistance so given was expressed by Mr W. A. Waters chief engineer of the Power Board, to-day. For a time he said, some lines, could not be switched in at all and others were supplied in a manner which gave a dim .light only. However, due to the prompt response by the public, the total load was rapidly reduced, thus enabling a supply at full voltage to be given every conThe staff of the Public Works Department, assisted by men from the Power Board, immediatelv undertook the task of replacing the damaged transformer, a job which took six hours of high-pressure labour, - the whole being completed before midnight. The difficulty they faced may be gauged from the fact that the transformer to be removed weighed, over fifteen tons. A big 6teel tank was. .badly buckled by the force of the explosion and repairs will probably be fairlv extensive. , The two existing “ banks of transr formers at Bunnythorpe, each of 4500 k.v.a., were carrying loads last week over their total capacity of 9000 k.v.a. They were due for replacement some months ago by transformers to- , tailing 15,000 k.v.a., but owing to the war.; the new transformers have not come to hand. The mishap on Saturday night means that the one spare transformer has been put into service, leaving no margin should another mishap arise. The Public Works t Department has been unfortunate lately in having had-two other banks of transformers damaged, one at Arapuni and another at Maugamaire. 7 The view is held that an electrical storm on the Sunday previous to the i failures might have led to these mishaps. At Mangamaire a transmission line pole was, cut in half and badly shattered, and at Himatangi a house was struck, a lightning arrestor being blown from the wall and four fowls’ killed in the backyard.