LAKE COLERIDGE WORKS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9789, 12 October 1917, Page 6

LAKE COLERIDGE WORKS

REPOET OP CHIRP ELECTRICAL BNGINHEE. The Lake Coleridge hydro-dleotrio works ate reported upon by the chief olec.tirioa.l engineer to the public Worlds Department in the annual report of the department pfl»ented to the House of Representatives yesterday. The report states: —The Lake Coleridge hvdro-eleatrio power supply completed its second year of operation on March Slat last, and has no"' yielded dounifo industrial and financial results. i 1!0 total capital outlay was increased during the year from .0320,330 to -L3oC,aM, the main item of expenditure under (he Sheading being the .installation of a fourth generating unit of IW° kilowatt capacity, raising the total power house Papacitv from 1300 kilo-watts to COCO kilowatts, equivalent to 8000 horsepower. The rainfall over the year has been below the average, whilst the rainfall during the season has been abnonna.ly low. This, following iipon a succession of dry seasons, has resulted in the •ground waters Veing drained, winch v,u require time to replenish. Tne supply, however, has been adequate for the requirements up to the present, bu ■. in view of the growth in the demand for power it is deemed advisable to make preparation for augmenting the supply bf water, and a scheme has been prepared for diverting a portion of the Harper River when and as required, at fi total cost of .£12.000. of which 2-5156 is for a watci race and intake works, (together with land purchase. loading, and accommodation, for workmen, the remainder being for river diversion .works designed to confine and maintoin hhe river in a channel suitable for the ■purpose in view. The proposed diverIfOTi work? would provide for about two and a. half times the present output ffr-cm tlic noweir station, and is deemed to be aii>p’ p for a long time to come. The results of the-operation for the rear have been very gratifying. The demand grew rapidly, and at-the end of [-he vear the connected load reached a f-otal’ of 1T.083 kilowatts, made up of 7013 kilowatts in whole-sale consumers and 10.070 kilowatts distributed over thirteen local retail reticulations. of which the largest is that of the Christchurch City » Council (8317 kilowatt?.. The total energv issued from the power house during the year amounted to 14.774.960 kilowatt hours, to obtain which 20.000 tons of coal would be required if generated in the most economical way hr means of a steam-power plant of (he rise of the Lake Coleridge plant. The earing in coal is. however, much greater ;

(than this, as small power plants are touch loss economical, and the saving may certainly bo put at 30,000 tons per annum, and probably 35,000 tons. In addition to this saving the power user Obtains his power for one-third to onehalf the previous cost, so that the saving to the community is considerable. The financial results are satisfactory, dt was not anticipated ‘ that the plant, whidh is . designed for an ultimate capacity of 12,000 kilowatts, would prove self-supporting until the output reached at least one-half of thia viz., 6000 kilo(Wafts. With an output rising during the year from 1372 to 4365 kilo waits, the (revenue obtained amounted to .1720,754, the working expenses to -012,889,' leaving a balance of 217865 to the credit of the net revenue account. The capital charges amounted bo 2113,743 in interest and 221078 in depreciation, so that there was a loss of 2158.3 on interest account and a total loss, including depreciation, eg 2111,856 compared with a loss of (-£12,253, on interest account and a total loss, including depreciation of 2117,649 as the result of the previous ymr’e 'working. The rapid growth of the business indicates that bv the end of the current year, which is the third year operation, tire plant will be earning ■Enffioicnt to meat both interest charges (and working expenses, and will yield a .surplus for depreciation and reserve.