POWER FROM MARAETAI

Press, Volume LXXXVIII, Issue 26877, 1 November 1952, Page 8

POWER FROM MARAETAI

First Turbine Now In Use ALL TESTS PROVE SUCCESSFUL (New Zealand Press Assbetatioft) WELLINGTON, October 31. Maraetai’s first generator is now feeding power into the North Island transmission system. The first turbine and generator of what will be the North Island’s biggest hydfO-electric station were tested satisfactorily on Thursday night, and at 11.13 o’clock tne Maraetai station was connected to the North Island grid. the initial run, it was soon found that the generator, under the present reduced head of water, was ?nSo le u-? f Producing more than the 10.000 kilowatts that had been expected. r,.^ 1 ’* r L OU 2r Cing ? he resu,t of thc trial run the Minister in charge of the State Hydro-electric Department (Mr W. S. Doosrhan) said it was a success story that he had to tell today. He was glad the b H-m ble i. to say that - in s P ite of al l EL a J Bcul V es and setbacks that had been experienced, the target date for ganeration of power at Maraetai nad been met. “J" t £ e .'? idtne of 19S1 ’ lf ‘ h °P e s were being held that eleetricity would become available i? m _ thls station in October, 1952 and all efforts were bent to achieving’ that objective, said Mr Goosman “The margin was slim, but we made it. ‘As Minister, I owe thanks to the engineers and the men who worked da >’ an o , night ,.tp bring about this es „ st ?> Jesuit,” said Mr Goosman. Not only to the men at Maraetai are my thanks due; they go also to the designers and builders of the scheme- to those at head office; and to the men who built hundreds of miles of transmission lines and constructed the substations that are now taking the power.”

Early Increase in Output It is hoped to bring the second generator into production next week and the third a little later. Tests made during the last few days have shown conclusively that the station can be operated successfully under a partial head of water. The trial run last night showed that under present conditions, the production from each of the three generators will be equivalent to the total output of the old Horahora station, which went out of commission when the Karapiro scheme began operating. Goosman said the engineers who were responsible for the scheme were fully satisfied with the tests they had made. These had shown that the operation of the plant under a parhead would present no difficulty. The tests of the penstocks, the penstock gates, and the gate-operating cylinders, had shown results fully up to expectations, Mr Goosman said. Tests made by scientists from the Donmuon Physical Laboratory With electronic equipment and strain gauges had given results that confirmed calculations made by the engineers. Likewise, the deflection tests on the dam under pressure of the water rising against its face had given the fullest satisfaction. 1953 Forecast Recalled . Mr Goosman said he had emphasised in his annual report for 1952 that it was of the greatest importance that the 30,000 k.w. of power which should be. a vailable from three generators at Maraetai under initial conditions should be obtained at the earliest possible date. Provided all went well with the trials of the two generators still to be brought into use, there was ample reason for confidence that this initial degree of production would be achieved soon. “When the three machines are Drought into operation togetner, they will make a material contribution to the power supply of the North Island in so far as they can be run continuously at 10,000 k.w. a machine,” Mr Goosman said. There was no reason yet to relax < existing restrictions on the use of power, because, even with Maraetai m . production, it was necessary to ’ build up the water storage which had 1 been lost in maintaining power supplies for many months, the Minister < said. The rate of recovery of the lost 1 storage would depend on the weather, ( but the successful operation of Maraetai provided a much more cheerful outlook than had been the consumers’ lot for some time.

POWER TAKEN TO OTAHUHU NEW TRANSMISSION LINE USED (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, October 31. With the generation of power by the first unit at Maraetai, electricity was distributed at 220,000 volts along the new transmission line to Otahuhu for the first time. The units generated by the Maraetai station intone day at the present output would cost about £lOOO to produce from the King’s Wharf steam station. The fourth set of gate-lifting cylinders should be ready to go into position on the Maraetai dam early next week. This will pave the way for the running of another generating unit in the powerhouse. The task of pumping the water out of the diversion tunnel and sealing the tunnel gate against leaks is well Men should be working in the tunnel also by early next week.