ELECTRIC POWER

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 14 January 1931, Page 7

ELECTRIC POWER

BRITAIN’S CENTRALISED SCHEME

INTERVIEW WITH SIR HARRY HAWARD In view of the Now Zealand Government’s scheme of ultimately linking up all the hydro-elect lie works in tho Dominion, the remarks of Sir Harry Haward upon recent- developments in electric power production in Great Britain are of particular interest. Sir Harry, who is at .present touring New Zealand, was a member of (lie London Electricity Commission appointed in 1926 to prepare schemes for centralising the power supply of Great Britain. To a Christchurch “Press” reporter he explained the results of these schemes as already placed, in part, in operation.

At the time of (he appointment of (he Commission tlioro were about 600 large and small generating stations in Great Britain, said Sir Harry Ha ward. Of these about tivo-thirds wore in the hands of municipalities, and the balance in the hands of private companies. The Commission decided that these should ultimately be reduced to about 50, with an intermediary stage of 100, all of which should be linked up in a network, or “grid," of high-power, 132,000 volt transmission lines. AN ELECTRICITY POOL Thus would be established an electricity “pool.” A central electricity board would have general control of tho whole scheme, hut the unique feature of tho project was that each generating station would remain under its former ownership From each the Central Board would buy energy at practically cost price, selling hack to the owners what each required for the supply of its own district, and keeping the balance for the supply of districts less advantageously endowed ill the matter of producing stations. Tho scheme had been based upon the estimated demand for electricity in 1940 of 500 units per head of population. The indications were that this would be realised. In fact, there was a greater demand in the United States than that figure represented even at the present time. It was an. enormous undertaking, and would not he completed for five or seven years.

FINANCIAL ADVANTAGES i The financial estimates were extremely favourable, said Sir Harry, and there was evei;y reason to believe that enormous savings would accrue to the country from its adoption. Savings in certain directions were obvious. It was a staggering fact that of the total generating plant in Great Britain at the time of the appointment of the Commission, 70 per cent, was “spare.”—lying idle, and not required ,fov the supply of electricity in its particular district. It was considered that not more than 15 per cent, “spare” plant was required for generating purposes. The number of producing stations would gradually be reduced, production being concentrated in those of greatest efficiency. By the linking up of the stations, the power of each would he utilisable over a large area of the country; thus redundant “spares” would ho, able to he put into use for supplying power further afield. There wore numerous difficulties, of course. The Commission was often asked to sanction the extension of present stations which would have no place in tho ultimate scheme. Until the “grid had been spread over the country, local stations would have to be increased in capacity to meet local demands. One 'of the directions in which the scheme was being advanced was in the furthering of the use of electricity in rural areas. A keen campaign was being carried out in this direction with the object of overcoming the conservatism of the British farmer.

HYDRO-WORKS AND STAND-BY PLANTS

Asked as to the views of experts upon hydro-electric development, Sir Harry Ha.wu.rd said, that two great difficulties were recognised—tho heavy initial capital cost, -and the necessity for the provision of stand-by plants in case of water shortage The latter was a recognised necessity, but it was also fully realised that tlie development of hydro-works was desirable from their economy of operation. The proportion of hydro-works in Great Britain was a very small one, but several schemes were in course ot development, notably two in Scotland of 20,000 kilowatts capacity, while there was an extension being carried out ot the largest hydro-works in the islands, that at Snowden in North Wales. All of these would feed into tho central scheme.