POWER PLANT OFFER-

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 1036, 29 July 1930, Page 13

POWER PLANT OFFER-

COMPLAINT AGAINST TREATMENT AMENDED QUOTATION A protest has been made to the Auckland Electric-Power Board by the Associated General Electric Company, which offered plant made by the A.E.G. Company, Germany, for the new 10,000kilowatt turbo alternators and boilers at King’s Wharf, regarding the manner in which the board dealt with the quotations. The board decided to buy British plant, a Fraser and Chalmers alternator set and Babcock and Wilcox boilers. The position was explained to the board yesterday afternoon in a report from its general manager, Mr. R. H. Bartley. He said: "The whole of the information concerning this plant has been received by cablegram. This Is not a satisfactory method of handling a matter of this magnitude, but, under the circumstances, which necessitate that the plant be installed and running before next winter, the board had no option but to proceed along these lines." Mr. “Bartley went on to say that, "in comparing the specilications for tho two makes of boilers offered, i find chat tile A.E.G. Company’s plant has a total heating surface o’: -9,000 square feet for the two boilers and the British plant has a heating surface of 38,814 square feet for the two boilers, thus there is an increase of, approximately, 34 per cent in favour of the British plant. The efficiency of the German boilers at normal rating is shown at 7!) per cent and, at maximum rating, 77 per cent, whereas the efficiency quoted for the British boiler under normal load is 84 per'-cent. This figure in itseif represents a very cons.derable item. We estimate that 80,000 tons of coal per annum will be consumed in these boilers and, to produce the same number of units’ output with the A.E.G. boilers, we would require to add 5 per cent, additional coal, representing 4,000 tons. Assessing this coal at il 6s 9d, the extra cost per annum would be, approximately, £ 6,000.” The company’s complaint was that Its reduced offer on July 11 cancelled previous quotations. It said that separate values could have been furnished a.nd Mr. Bartley thought it feasible that this should have- been done with the application. Mr. Bartley pointed out that tho German plant was of high quality and tho offer exceedingly good.