ABUNDANT POWER

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 678, 1 June 1929, Page 16 (Supplement)

ABUNDANT POWER

Tlie first instalment of the supply j from Arapuni marks the opening of a new era in the supply of electricity for the Auckland Province, more particularly the Auckland city, said Mr. R. K. Bartley, manager of the Auckland Electric-Power Board, to a Sun representative today. It allays any doubts of a restriction on the steady advancement of Auckland as a manufacturing centre. It also ensures that the growing needs of Auckland homes can be provided for up to a time beyond reasonable calculation. It also marks the big change-over from electricity produced by one of Nature’s supplies, to one that has no such disturbing factor. Coal, although there is abundant quantities, must of necessity be a diminishing quantity and- more costly as it becomes more difficult to mine due to the easier parts having all been worked, whereas, water, once the capital cost of harnessing and controlling it has been carried out, keeps on supplying day after day power which is replenished from Nature’s abundance.

This means to Auckland that industries may now be built up without any misgivings about lack of power at a future date. It enables the Auckland Electric-Power Board to go steadily ahead making electricity available for every possible type of power and heating connection, and it relieves the board of the necessity of carefully watching its station capacity with regard to the load that is developing.

Generating electrictv by steam, the Auckland Electric-Power Board has built up a load, in comparison to its population, that is the envy of every electrical undertaking in the Southern Hemispheres. The figures in connection with domestic supply connections for four years are 4,000 electric stoves and B.QOO water heaters. These figures speak for themselves. One can readily visualise that within ten years we shall see whole homes in Auckland being run electrically; the climate and life led by the Auckland people particularly favours the electrification of their homes.

Auckland City Well Supplied RIVER AND KING’S WHARF

Aucklanders should be justly proud j of their persistence in pushing for the j harnessing o£ the Waikato River at: Arapuni. At the time that the Government was hesitating and required some guarantee with regard to how much electricity would be used if Arapuni were harnessed, Auckland came along and definitely guaranteed to take 15,000 kws. immediately the Government could finish the work at Arapuni, or in lieu of this, an equivalent annual payment. This was a bold step to take at that time, but the action and the long view taken by the Auckland people has been amply justified, and Auckland is prepared at the present time to draw ninety per cent, more power from Arapuni than it guarani teed to do. This is certainly a monument to the I efficient and energetic administration ; of the electricity supply in Auckland. DUAL SUPPLY | Another fact winch renders the position in Auckland, as a manufacturing | centre, specially attractive, is that the : present King’s Wharf station, which • has done such good work in the past, ; will always be ready to take over the j load of Auckland, should any unforeseen accident happen which would dis--1 connect the Arapuni supply from this j city. This insurance of continuity of ! supply which the steam station, gives I is of vital importance to certain inI rlustries, and Auckland is fortunate in having this asset. In regard the actual supply, it was the original intention of the Government to put down three generating sets of 15,000 kws. each, but the growth has been such that it has already decided on, and ordered, a fourth 15,000 kw. set. Also, the dam on the river has been constructed, and necessary initial work carried out, so that the capacity of the station can be doubled, making in all eight units of 15,000 kws. each. Electricity is brought from Arapuni to Penrose at a pressure of 110,000 volts by cables hung on large steel

f towers, which many Aucklanders have already seen strung in a long run between here and Arapuni. The current is taken into the Government sub-station at Penrose, and the pressure is then reduced to 22.000 volts. From there it is taken in underground cables right, through into the Auckland Electric-Power Board's main station at King's Wharf, and the pressure is again reduced to 6,600 volts and fed from here to the various sub-stations and transformers scattered all over the district. These transformers, which are erected on poles and with which all Aucklanders are familiar, again

reduce the pressure to that used in the house for lighting and heating. Through all these changes and through hundreds of miles of cable, electricity, generated from the harnessed Waikato Rivfcr at Arapuni, is conveyed into the homes, offices and factories of the people of Auckland.