POWER SUPPLIES.

Auckland Star, Volume LVIII, Issue 121, 25 May 1927, Page 9

POWER SUPPLIES.

DOMINION'S GREAT ADVANCE.

SHORTAGE LIKELY If EXT TSAR

DUE TO AKAPINI DELAY

(Bj Telcsrn^a. —O» u CorrcsposdesU WELLINGTON, this day. An interesting survey of the electrical developments in various parts of New Zealand was given at the electrical supply engineers' conference yesterday, by Mr. F. T. M. chief electrical engineer of the Public Works Department. The wonderful development of Coleridge, he said, had proved that, as far as electricity was concerned. the public appetite grew with eating. From a table of summarised loads supplied by the Department, showing the extension* necessary to keep pace with the demand for current, he said that in 1916 the average total peak load carried «ru 13UU k.w.. in 1917 WO. in 1918 ;**XK in 1919 .'»»00, in lirjn «**oO. in 19il 74Ort, in li.) 00. in \9Zi in 191* in I3i"i. in 19*1 41,000, in 1927 4t)J*iU. and so far this year the average load had increa>ed to .>l£4'> k.w., an average increase over the II years of 4-1 per cent per annum. When it »as considered that at a comparatively early date the department would lie bringing in Waikaretnuana and Aγ*,>uni it was unlikely that that percentage would be decreased. New Source in North Otafo. At the pre>cnt time the Department had under construction at Lake Coleridge a 13.000 ';.w. extension, which was practically completed and construction there next year w a3 not likely to be considenible. Additional lines were 00 the programme for North Canterbury, and the Department had al>o undertaken a comprehensive survey of other sources of power n*cp>s»ry for the development of the next three or four years in the supply ot North Otago. Canterbury and Otago. This survey bad resulted in the decision that the Waitaki River should form the next tapped source of supply in the South Island. The Waitaki wa* one of the largest rivers in the South Island, second only to the Clutha and Waiau. It drained three large lakes and a great part of the main divide. At Mangahau they bud already reached the full load and during the past summer they had difficulty with the supply, but thank* to arrangement.-, made had been able to supply all the customers, who*e demands were not reduced in any way; indeed, a supply in excess of orotraeta had been possible. The only work under construction at Mangahao was the third dam. This would mean a cqb-

sidcrable tiv-rea>«c in .-torage and would enable larsr load? to be carried for a longer period than la»t >umnwr, but they would still have to draw on the Wellington steam plant and on Wanga - nui and other source* of power in a particularly dry summer such a« that of Last year. Waikaremoaaa is 19:9. To meet the prospective load they h*«l already embarked on a development of W&ikarcmoarut with two units each of 2SOO k.v-a. capacity. "We arc under contract to have this •tation completed by June. 1929. , * said Mr. Ki.«*cl. "but all the contract works are well forward and we anticipate we will be able to better that by sis month*. The engineers on the j«>b arc particularly anxious to do thi*. a« it will show that what N>w »alar»i engineer* are capable of in the way «f compare-* favourably with similar work in other placo."" A- stated in the ""Star" yc*t*-rday. Mr. Ki»*ol «aid it wa? e%id«Mit now that the Arapuni scheme might not be in operation until the end of l!* 2». He added that the Department was making an inve* ligation of the exact use of power in the Auckland district, and making a graph of the e\a«-t there is likely to be. It proposed to confer with ail omh-vitj**! t<-« uw-rt th-c difficulty that wa_* likely to ari>e in th<? autumn and winter of 1925. Transmission were being erected from Arapuni to Auckland, from Rotorua to the Bav oi Plenty, a liiw to Waitonv» and a line to the Far North, with special consideration of the cement works at Whangarei.

"I do not think the oi-ca-ion warrants anv wiM rtiiinin? into the additional purchase of plant to meet the cnicrgencte* which are likely to ari:m only tor one tMr at the mo»t. * said Mr. Kis«el. "li" >u«-li c\r--nJiturc ou a large n-ale «erc ju>tifiol fo meet finer-gen«-ie« r»f thi* nature, it would appear that <*om<-thin;r is »roii; when he can afford to «upply peak loads at the present ra»<*«. I think the matter require* >criou* consideration before I .la lit- are pun-hasrd to m»-et the emergency. Co-operation in the full u«o d the existing plant. I think, is the right solution."