POWER SCHEME AT TEKAPO
Future Dam Site
SURVEY TUNNEL BEING DRIVEN
Activity by Public Works Department engineers at Lake Tekapo has been wrongly interpreted by many visitors to be the prelude to the immediate development of the proposed hydro-electric power station and Water conservation scheme there.
An explanation of the work now being carried out at Tekapo was given by the Minister for Public Works (the Hon. R. Semple) in reply to questions by a reporter of “The Press” in an interview on Saturday. He contradicted reports that the early beginning of the development schemes was contemplated. A tunnel to test the nature of the ground was being driven through the morainic country between the lake and the river, and a road had been constructed to give access to the river end of the tunnel, the Minister explained. “The work being done is purely of an exploratory nature,” said Mr Semple. “We are making sure of our facts before we do anything of a major nature.” The development of Tekapo is one of the main points of the Government’s “long range” programme for the supply of power in New Zealand. The tentative proposal is to build there a station with an output of approximately 20,000 kilowatts, combined with a low regulating dam to conserve water during the winter seasons. The conservation will permit the further development of the Waitaki station, to be developed to its full capacity of 75,000 kilowatts. Two generators, bringing the capacity to 60,000 kilowatts, are now being built for Waitaki, and provision will have to be made for an increased water supply during the winter months. The ultimate damning of the three supply lakes—Ohau, Pukaki, and Tekapo—was envisaged when the Waitaki scheme was designed, and Tekapo has been selected as the first to be harnessed.
In the first stage the waters of Tekapo will be raised 11 feet. When the scheme is fully developed the dam will raise the lake level 40 feet.
A number of test bores were sunk at Tekapo last year, and the work now going on marks another stage in the advancement of the required investigations. 1
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19390116.2.36
Bibliographic details
Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22610, 16 January 1939, Page 8
Word Count
355POWER SCHEME AT TEKAPO Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22610, 16 January 1939, Page 8
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.
Log in