MIGHTY POWER.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 243, 13 October 1936, Page 10

MIGHTY POWER.

ARAPUNI'S STATION.

NEW UNITS INSTALLATION. MANY MEN EMPLOYED. (From Our Own Correspondent., ARAPUNI, this day. Good progress is being made with the installation of the two new power units at the Arapuni power house, where a large number of workmen—more than when the work was started —are employed. There are now over 220 men engaged on the building extensions, with about SO carpenters and 50 other tradesmen working on the erection of machinery. The housing accommodation is severely taxed, and it has already been necessary to erect 15 tents. Some work is still proceeding on the foundations, but a certain amount of building construction has now been done, while men are also putting in turbine casing and erecting steel work for the outdoor station. A large amount of machinery is on hand, including generators, turbines, switch gear valves, outside station gear and transformers, and other material is often to be seen being unloaded at Putaruru. The station as it stands, with four power units, represents only half the completed scheme, and the present work is on the installation of units numbers 7 and 8. This should be completed and the units in operation in about 18 months. A certain amount of work has been done on the foundations for units numbers 5 and C, which will be installed at a later date, as the necessity arises, though with the present rapidly-increasing consumption and the existing steady drain upon the station's resources it would be no surprise if it were decided to complete the whole station under the present scheme. It is expected that the station will eventually be able to supply the whole of the North Island, and even now power is supplied to Wellington when necessary.