Further Trouble at Horahora Plant

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 249, 11 January 1928, Page 8

Further Trouble at Horahora Plant

PUMICE BLOCKS TURBO*] TEMPORARY STOPPAtt 1 TO-NIGHT I (Special to TBS SUB.) HAMILTON, I “Conditions at Horahora hU 1 become worse owing to a quaM*! I of submerged pumice 1 down the river. It may be iw!? 1 sary to cease generating oT Sv V* any time,” states a messagegT I the district electrical enai«Z! 4* Mr. McLennan. If the difficulties increase, it • tended, if possible, to delay JL? > H down until 10 o’clock on ti night, and to start again at 3 I Thursday morning. The iwwerL’ I which will be affected are down as far as Otorohanga, and t ’ rua. Franklin and Waitentta x tricts. Some of these possess 5! ,,, plants, and this may relieve thT’ ' f location of the services a fitti. **! the situation remains t>nigit * I position concerning the power at Horahora is serious^ 5 * 1 The accumulation of this puaj,., r Horahora is not a new caprice of * 1 Waikato River, but merely a 1 velopment in the cutting' of the * course which stirred the coiintrr I a week or so ago. A large cnursl of pumice has come through i screens and has lodged at. the tuA 1 gates. Smaller quantities of pa-* have accumulated and have compact mass, which is exceediM-’ 1 difficult to dislodge and is chokhsA - inlets and i>reventing the water pal ? ing through to the turbines it “ cient quantities to keep theta Vj * ning. Seven turbines were ru M * j to-day and were generating m , 6,000 kilowatts. Five of them slovl down frequently and the average tj* age generated was low. HELP FROM THE-CITY Assurance is given by Mr. R. p Bartley, general manager of the Aaqi land Power Board, that the boardi station at King’s Wharf would lie at. able of taking over the extra load frog, Horahora while the plant was beit; overhauled to-nicht. During the j&few days King i Wharf station haj been carrying almost the conqtaf equivalent of the present Hcrahor. load. No trouble would be eipoienced in providing adequate po'ter br the board's own area as well us ft* served by Horahora. Interruptions in the supply in tke Waitemata Power Board's area otcurred at Takapuna and Devenpo; last evening, through the dislxatim at Horahora, but the stoppages wer; not serious and the power vas nstored after midnight.