HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 78, 1 April 1922, Page 11

HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER.

Canadian experience. installation estimate? exceedp:d. Recent Canadian experience would make it seem difficult to arrive at reliable estimates of the cost of hydroI electric installations. In Ontario, ! Canada, the whole of the immense ! hydro-electric enterprises, which are ! centred very largely on the eompara- | tively ■ easily converted power of the i Niagara Kails, are controlled by what i* I termed a Power Commission. Speaking at Hamilton on February 14 the Premier of the province, llr. Drury, took this body very severely to task. He denounced the Hydro-Electric Power Com(mission for ineflicienoy, over-optimism, and extravagance. lie declared that the 'Government had lost confidence in its estimates ami wan determined to exercise greater authority over its policy and expenditure. He pointed out thai the Chippawa development at the junction of the Wcl- ' land and Niagara river?, for which the j initial estimate wiu 10,300,000 dollar* I ( £2,10(1.000), cost 60,000,000 dollars ! (£13,800,000), and that even if allowance were, made for the additional unite provided under the revised plans, live units, of which the estimated coat was 40.000,----00 dollars ( .tS.000.000). encoded that by nearly :!0,000,000 dollars ( £0.000,0001. On the Nipigon project, fer which the estimates wad 4,400,000 dollars ( .CBBO,----000) for the generation of i">,ono horfie- ! power, over 0,000,000 dollars ; 000) was expended, and only 27,000 j horse-power developed. The consumers !at Port Arthur were using only 5.00(1 I horee-power, though the Hydro-Commis-sion estimated that they would use 20,000, and, instead of paying 15 dollar? ( £3) per horse-power, were actually paying 21 dollars (£4 ;>/). "Moreover j the actual loss on operation wad :)70,00r I dollars ( C 74,000) per year, without tak ing into account the annual interest charges of 202,000 dollars (£52,400). The (iovernment, Mr. Rrury explained was resolved to curb the powers of the Commission, and would persist in it.refusal to guarantee the cost of the radial railways to be planned and con struoted by the Commission. Water power is of the utmost importance to Ontario, because there is nr ;'oal within the province, and the manu facturers depend upon the importation: of coal from the Far Ea*»t or from the Far Went of the Dominion, or receive their coal supply from the United States The Quoenatown-Chippawa Tower de veh.pment scheme involves the construe tion of a canal which will convey watei fro m the Niagara River above the fallf to a point near Quecni-town, below thi faJk, where the largest power plan! in the world will be located. The lcngtl of the canal is \2'i miles, the width ill the top being Ki2 feet, and at tin bottom 70 feet: the. average depth v 30 feet. Its construction involves ar excavation of 11 nrillion cubic yards o earth and four million cubic yards o rock. The net head of water utilisei in tills, development will he 305 feet and the capacity of the canal will hi from 15,000 to' IS.OOO cubic feet pc second. The powerhouse will contain th< largest turbines and generators in tin world, each of the former being o 55,000 horse-power capacity, coupled ti an electric generator of equivalent sizr The entire project up to an initial capa city of 100,000 horse-power wiw com pleted in 10-21. The ultimate capacit; nf the generating station will be ap proximately 450.000 horse-power. The cost per horse-power to the con sinner in the city of Toronto is lT.OOdols for the current delivered by the Com mission, and lO.'iOdols. to cover c"st o distribution in the city and operatinj chafges, making a total of 36.50d01a., o £7 11/.1 per horse power.