Hydro-Electric Power.

Digger (Invercargill RSA), Issue 33, 29 October 1920, Page 10

Hydro-Electric Power.

THE QOVERNMENT PROPOSALS. OVER £20,090,000 INVOLVEO.

In the course of the Public Worlcs Statement the Hon. -J. G. Coates outlined the proposals for hydro-electric development. The Minister said : — The main Government scheme proposed for each island consists of a complete high-tension transmission system connecting all the main points of supply of the electric power board distriets and of the alectric power authorities. These transmission systems will be fed from three or four large hydro-electric power sourees in each case, and will also be connected up with the chief existing local sourees of supply, including both the hydro-electric and steam power plants already in operation. Hence the urgent neeessity of standardising the system of electrical distrihution throughout the Dominion. In all recent installations the standard threephase fifty-cycle system has been adopted, and several of the older plants are being changed over to this system in order to enable them to talce advantage economically of the Government supply. Out of the fifty-five generating stations now in operation, twenty-two are operating on the standard system, comprising 26,690 kilowatts, or 58.3 per cent. of the installed capacity of the Dominion. The main sjpurces of supply selected for the North Island are Mangahao (24,000 h.p.), Arapuni (96,000 h.p., capable of extension to 162, 000 h.p.), and Waikaremoana (40,000 h.p., capable of extension to 156,000 h.p.). In addiiion, supplementary supplies will be obtained from Horahora power-house (8400 h.p.), Wairua Falls (2,600 h.p.), New Plymouth Borough (ultimately 8000 h.p.), and a stahidby service from the large steam plants at Auckland (ultimately 26,000 h.p.) and Wellington (12,000 h.p.). Regarding the North Island, the construction of Mangahao is now well in hand. The investigation of the Arapuni dam side is practically completed, and work will b© commenced at- Waikaremoana forthwith. For the main transmission lines the specifications for the materials have been drawn up and the delivery of the poles has commenced. Provided that no undue delay occurs in the delivery of plant from abro.ad, and coal for driving the construction plant is obtainahle, and cement, the supply from Mangahao can be made available within three vehrs.

Thi» construction plant of Waikaremoana (1000 h.p.) has been designed to form part of the permanent installation, and to be large enough to give a local supply in the meanwhile to Wairoa County and Borough. This construction plant should be in operation within two years, and the main supply from Waikaremoana within two years thereafter. In regard to the South Island the details of the transmission system and supply points have not yet been laid out, but the system will incorporate the existing power plant at Lake Coleridge, the Dunedin C'ity Council' s plant at Waipori Falls, and the proposed Southland Electrie-power Board's station at Lake Manapouri, each of which should be developed as aarly as possible to its fullest extent. Propo3als are now being investigated for the extension of the Lake Coleridge plant to the capacity of the site (42,000 h.p.) and the snrvey and construction of the line to South Canterbury is in hand. Surveys oi the Hawea- Wanaka and Teviot River schemes have been carried out to locate the most economical source of supply in Central Otago in order to complete the system in the southern end oi th® laland,

and surveys will be put in hand as early as possible to locate th© best sourees of supply for the north ern end (Marlborough, Nelson, and Ruller distriets) , and the western distriets (Grey and Westland), and for laying out transmission routes to complete th© whol© system on the same lines as in the North Island. The estimates of 1918 for the North Island system (160,000 h.p.) amounted to £7,303,402. At th© present enhanced costs of labour and material this will considerably exceed £10,000,000, and the South Island system will probably cost almost as much. The prosecution of these works at a satisfactory rate of progress will call for more skilled and unskilled labour than is at present available, but it is hoped that the efforts of my colleaguethe Minister of Inrmigration will result in the early arrival in New Zealand oi a sufhcient number of suitable men. The success of the schemes already in operation, and the ever-increasing difi'iculties in ' obtaining supplies of coal .and fuel oil, have combined to create an insistent, widespread, and fully justified demand for the immediate development of New Zealand' s water-power resources. Financial considerations require that schemes once launched should he brought to a paying stage as quickly as the available supply of labour and material will permit. Special ot'fieers, enginoers and other experts, together with the necessary offic© assistance, have therefore been, as I have already stafced, to deal specially with electric undertakings. The whole of the energies of these officers will be concentrated on the completion of the schemes, and on the supervtsion and th© assisting of the Power Boards, and other distributing authorities. As circumstances require their nurnbers will be added to. Further legislation dealing with liydro-electric matt©rs is under careful consideration. In the meantime it is proposed to*set up an advisory Board consisting of business men of standing to advise the Government on various questions connected with the business management of its power undertakings, and on questions of policy in connection with the development, distribution, and sale of hydro-electric power. Lake Coleridge Supply. Refemng to Lake Coleridge, the Minister said the revenue for the year was £45,831 and the expenses (including £7,624 depreciation reserve), £42,246, leaving a very satisfactory net profit of £3,585. The output for the year from the powerhouse was over 33,090,000 units. To have generat-ed this in a large economical steam plant using the class of coal now available would have taken 45,000 tons of fuel,worth from £100,000 to £120,000. But the steam plants that have actually been replaced by Lake Coleridge power were b.y no means as efficient as is assumed alx>ve, and in practical running they actually consumed up to three or four times the above amount of coal, or :ts value in oil, keroseno, and petrol. Thus the saving in fuel to the public of Canterbury is probably in the neighbourhood oi £300,000, for which they have paid to the Department £45,831 — or, allowing for the distri-buting-costs of Ihe twelve retailing authorities, about £110,000, The shipping and handling alone of the above 45,000 tons of coal per year (150 tons per day) would have been a large item. And, apart from the saving, the comfort that has been given in ten thousand homea, the increasing efficiency in dozens of workshops and factories, and the security and t fcliability of the hydro-elertric power sup-

plj during the trying way restnctaons and coal ; rii advantages of even grea,,, ' « the consumers than the caT % 1 £200,000. As the result of th^ the demand now in sight i« t 3 8UCCt of the supply , ani even Qf" ar 111 eice the scheme as now laid ouU of 16,000 horse-power. P] 3 hand for further extension* toi ' of an additional 26,000 horSflnn M 000 kilowatts) , with distributLT !2° Banka Pennaula, Ko.hai Count, S ' Ellesmere County, Methven, uu and Timaru. * ut'° Electric-Power Boards, The function of the Goremment in M nection with hydro-electric SUpp!y J essentially in the construction 0f 3 generation stations and the main tran mission lines and sub-stations from whi, the power will be sold in bulk td the loc distnbuting authorities. The latter wi be left the duty of reticulation and retal sale. The Government policy. will b9 1» throw upon local organisations practicalS the whole business side of the undertalM ings other than the -primary generatiol ■ high-tension transmission, and sale W bulk. In the past the only kai authorj ties available have been the borough anfl county councils, but in order to providl a stronger and a specialised otganintiol the Electric Power Boards Act, 1913, iJ passed. Lhis Act providee that severa^J adjacent local distriets may unite and sel up an. elected power board, with ratin® powers. The provisiona of this Act liavfl now been taken advantage of by ten e\ec« tric power distriets. Althongb the Acl provides for inner and outer areas, mosl of the Boards have taken in the whole oil their district as an inner area, irospecB tive of the density of settlement, thus m-H pressing their confidence in thedevelop-H ment of the back country and in its ment by farmers who will be sulcieatijl progressive to make full use oi the adl vantages of electric power supply. Withl regard to the future, the principles oal which the boundaries of electric powerl distriets should be determined are not sem out in the Act, but under clause I the ie-1 sponsibility of deciding whether proposed I boundaries are desirable ot otherwise ul cast on the Governor-General in Councill Hitherto no amendment has been made M the distriets as sought in the petitionj submitted, but it is obvious that if thfl whole Dominion is to be dealt with in fl best manner possible it is essential tij a comprehensive scheme should be ra™ up. This has been done, and m !utul it will be necessary for the petitions to )>■ submitted to the Minister for appr0l before they are circulated, and any ne M sary alterations made in the boun a V Difficulties will probably he encounte J in the distriets, which include t ie j* of the power supply undertakings, o« V to the fact that country distnbu I though the most important par ' J power board's activities, an profitable from the national F1"' ,.,yl cannot be as remunerative as ■ supply because of the longeJ ® J are required. Tlie cities an however, must realise the ex n "■ they are dependent for their the country business, a11 ^ ^ evenl heartily in comprehensive sys>« ' 1 including in each case sutjstant'ic^tiol of less remunerative countiy 1 .()M Five of the power board dts IlC lo#) constituted have submitted j, proposals to the ratepayeis, to °Tpf h to £1.980,000. Th^a»-» | £20 per liead of the P°PU^^ #e ,n1 distriets concerned, and it d dication of the future exten ^ ance of the electric povei ^ The almost unanimous vo ^ ^ these loan proposals haN Opinioi ^ indicate, however, the Pu the matter.