Power—At a Price

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 657, 8 May 1929, Page 8

Power —At a Price

Cost of Dominion’s Hydro Schemes SO far the Government has spent, in round figures, about £.10,000,000 in the development of hydro-electricity in New Zealand —a sum far greater than originally estimated —- and nearly every town in the country has its supply of power. The completion of existing works will weave a network of reticulation reaching to every corner of the Dominion.

TN 30 years almost phenomenal pro- -*- gress has been made in harnessing and commercialising water-power for the generation of electricity. At the beginning of this century practically nothing had been done to exploit the vast resources running idly to waste in the streams and rivers in both islands; to-day, many of these watercourses are checked and practically the whole of the land is served by power-lines conveying energy and light. When engineers advanced a bold estimate in 1918 and fixed the power requirements of New Zealand at onefifth of a horse-power for every head of population, and £7,300,000 as the total cost of the North Island development, the scheme was regarded almost as a dream of the future. Now it is found, largely on account of a steep rise in costs, the estimate has been exceeded, and the capacity of the plants has been greatly increased to meet the power requirements of the people. Lake Coleridge, the first project to he undertaken on an impressive scale, has served Canterbury well for many years, but even there, with other systems growing rapidly all round it, another unit is to be added to the supply, and. preparations are now being made for its installation. NORTH ISLAND COVERED Arapuni, which should have been finished first, is one lap behind Waikaremoana as a unit in the electric supply of the Dominion. Arapuni, estimated originally to cost £1,165,000 was contracted for at £1,175,457, but now—before the first turbine has actually turned in its power-supplying mission—well over £2,000,000 has been sunk in it. The construction of Waikaremoana is to serve two ends. First it will relieve the load on Mangahao, where the demand reached the capacity of the plant almost as soon as it was installed, and later it will connect with Arapuni and assist in supplying the greater part of the North Island. About £1,000.000 has already been spent. on Waikaremoana, whence

Gisborne and Napier are now receiv ins power.

A scheme of smaller dimensions, but ot equal importance to the district it serves, is the power supply at Tariki, which is run independently of the State. It is proposed that the Government should purchase this scheme and link it up with the other supply sources. Surveys are now being made in the Urewera country for huge transmission towers, with spans thousands of feet in length, to carry the lines serving Waikaremoana, and, alternatively. Arapuni power when the whole North Island scheme is complete. SOUTHERN SCHEMES In the South the Government is going ahead with the Waitaki scheme, and already something like £200,000 has been spent on it. When complete, this project will be the South Island equivalent to Arapuni. Monowai, in Southland, and the Waipori, in Otago, as well as smaller plants conducted by independent boards and local bodies, contribute to the power resources of the South Island. In many ways it is a model. In the whole of the Dominion there are four steam stations, four gas stations, two oil stations, and 80 hydro plants. In some districts every home has electric light; many have electric hot water and stoves, and electric motors for milking machines are freely in use. Mangahao, though estimated to cost £1,233,000, and actually costing about £2,500,000, was a blessing to the farmers in the Manawatu and Wellington districts. Arapuni must mean the same to the Auckland Province, and Waikaremoana to Poverty Bay and Hawke’s Bay. This record of achievement provides a gratifying reflection for the engineers who executed it. It affords reflection, also, for the .consumers who use the current. There is also occasion for the taxpayer to reflect upon the cost of the undertakings and to hope that power will be available at an economic rate that will be sufficient to cover the capital and running costs.