ELECTRIC POWER SCHEMES.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20426, 22 December 1931, Page 11

ELECTRIC POWER SCHEMES.

DEVELOPMENTS ABROAD. MR E. HITCHCOCK'S TOUR. "It is of first importance to keep supply substantially ahead of demand," said Mr E. Hitchcock, general manager of the Municipal Electricity Department, when asked yesterday by • representative of The Press for some impressions of his recent visit to Canada, the United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. Mere magnitude and bulk, Mr Hitchcock said, sometimes were mistaken for indications of development and efficiency. The matter of real interest and importance was independent of magnitude, which depended upon the size of the country and density of population. Much more important w» how far electrical resources met the needs of the country. The impression gained from experience of other countries was that supply had been allowed to lag demand until it was recognised tliat it was of the first_ inx* portance to keep supply substantially ahead of demand. That was probablj one of the lessons that New Zealand most needed to learn in connexion witn its hydro-electric resources. There wa» this reservation —these remarks were m terms of normal times, and the conclusion arrived at applied to normal, circumstances, and to normal rates J growth, and could not justly be questioned on the basis of the present altogether abnormal depression. In the "United States and Canada. Speaking of what he saw in the United States and Canada, Mr Hitchcock said that Toronto was a very good centre from 'which to_ see the activities of the Hydro-electric Commission of Ontario, which was an outstanding example of Government control and administration of electricity' on a large scale. The Commission supplied nearly 200 municipalities, and amongst the stations it operated was the exceptidnally large one at Queenstown, near Niagara Falls. From this plant the Commission was exporting 25,000 k.w.-—a new phase of electrical development. An interesting fact regarding NiagaraFalls was that there had been erected recently in the vicinity of this stronghold of water-power an extensive steam station of about 300,000 k.w. capacity. This was the result of several factors influencing the administration of the power business, but was due chiefly to the increasing efficiency obtainable in large capacity steam units, coupled with the. fact that seasonal limitations of water resources could be best compensated for by a fuel plant. In. the instance mentioned, as in some other instances, it was the broad local circumstances rather than general fundamental principles which gave rise to this unusual development, A Big Power Scheme. In Montreal there were extensive pri-' vate enterprises operating both steam and hydro-electricity plants. The development scheme claiming special interest was undoubtedly the Beauharnois power development, about 20 miles out of Montreal. Ultimately it was proposed to utilise the full supply from the river St. Lawrence. The scheme involved a head race 15 miles long, and 3200 ft wide; in addition the head ra<je included a ship canal 27ft wide. It was proposed to scrap several existing developments which were themselves of substantial capacity—one. of 200,000 h.p. The init- . ial plant now about to be .put into operation was 500,000 h.p.; th.e_ ultimate capacity was 2,000,000 h.p. In Chicago Mr Hitchcock saw four tremendous power plants, each costing 6,000,000 dollars to 7,000,000 dollars, all idle, due partly to-the fact that more modern plants were ijiore economical. At Boston he saw a steam plant in which they were operating several turbo-alternators at a steam pressure of 14001b per square inch. That was a revolutionary increase in steam pressure as compared with the average practice of to-day of approximately, 250 to 3001b per square inch. The plant, which was in the nature of an experiment, apparently was giving satisfaction. Electrical Development in Britain. In Great Britain electrical development was at an exceedingly interesting stage. For many years there hadjjeen many electrical plants in England efficiently operated and • giving effective service; but unfortunately in many cases they had been isolated geographically; the voltages and frequencies adopted had not been uniform, consequently development on an extensive scale had not .been possible. The war i emphasised ■ these limitations . and directed attention to the necessity 1 for a radical change; legislation was .passed, appointing electricity commissioners with much wider powers than hid been enjoyed previously by the electrical "industry; as a consequence a .uniform system of transmission and distribution was now being constructed throughout England and Scotland. Though many i problems had arisen, and though many difficulties had to be overcome, it was possible that this methodof administration would open up a new era of electrical progress in Great Britain. Developments on the Continent. During and following the war there had been a similar intensification of development on the Continent. One interesting development was that "countries well endowed with power resources were now exporting electrical . power on a large - scale to other countries less fortunately endowed, or to those which had" districts needing power tfhich were nearer to the power source of another nation than to their own. It was an interesting development in that it was one more recognition of the fact that human needs and their economic fulfilment were rapidly becoming international and over-reached the limitations of specific national boundaries.