SOUTH ISLAND POWER

Press, Volume XCI, Issue 27628, 7 April 1955, Page 12

SOUTH ISLAND POWER

PROPOSED BENMORE WORKS

SUGGESTED USE OF MEN FROM ROXBURGH (From Our Parliamentary Reporter) WELLINGTON, April 6. The manning of the proposed hydroelectric works at Benmore with men released from Roxburgh was being studied by the Government, the Minister of Works (Mr W. S. Goosman) informed Mrs E. E. McMillan (Opposition, North Dunedin) in reply to a question in the House of Representatives today. The Minister added that he could not make any definite statement on the subject at present. Answering other questions by Mrs McMillan, the Minister said the first four machines installed at Roxburgh would meet all estimated requirements for electric power until 1961. It was proposed to call tenders for the second four machines in which would, allow time for their installation and delivery before 1961. “It is the objective of the Government to install these machines so as to meet any demand which might arise,” he said.

“If that estimate of the Minister is correct it will be the only time it has been correct,” said the Deputy Leader of the Opposition (Mr C. F. Skinner). The department had underestimated in the North Island, which was clamouring for an authority to be set up to assess actual requirements. When the Waitaki station was opened with two generators, the Primg Minister of the day said the suppip would be adequate to meet the requirements of the South Island for years. They knew the actual experience, and he was sure that with Roxburgh the experience would be repeated, said Mr Skinner. Braeburn Postponement “The Minister gave his programme for the development of Roxburgh some time ago, and since then the Braebum scheme has been postponed, and Roxburgh will be asked to take the additional load,” said Mr Skinner. The present generating capacity of the South Island was inadequate to meet the demand, yet the programme for Roxburgh was unchanged, although the 30,000 kilowatts that Were to be produced by Braebum would be added to the load of the South Island grid. At least one additional generator wopld be required at Roxburgh to take the load to be supplied to the north of the South Island.

Mr Skinner said that power authorities in various parts of the Dominion shared his view that the estimates of power requirements for the next few years would be below the actual demand. The question was topical and of great interest. Mr Skinner asked the Minister to reconsider seriously his programme and place the order for the machines early in 1957 and go ahead with their installation.

It was a very important fact that local distributing authorities were asked recently by the State Hydroelectric Department to estimate their demands, and that they had the right to say what they thought they wanted, said the Minister of Health (Mr J. R. Hanan). The department agreed with the authorities that the annual load increase would be about 7 per cent. The estimated power requirements would be met by four generators up to 1961. Industrial Demand Mr Skinner would be on sound grounds if he said there could be an abnormal demand if heavy industry came along, "and I can tell him that two heavy industries are on the landscape, and that I hope something will come of it.” said Mr Hanan. “They will be big industries wanting big blocks of Roxburgh power. If that comes about the statement of the Minister will be amended accordingly, and the machines ordered much sooner. If the authorities’ estimates increase m the next two years it will be easy *o get the extra generators.” The new industries, said Mr Hanan, would call for the installation of further generators earlier than 1961, and in that event the Benmore scheme would have to begin earlier than was proposed.

Mr J. B. Kent (Opposition, Westland) said he had been a member of a power board which was definitely concerned with shortages and cut-outs, and which in 1946 had welcomed the announcement of the Braeburn scheme. Last year the present Minister said the scheme would go ahead. Now it had been postponed, and he wondered what that entailed. He also wanted to know why there was a difference of between £2,500,000 and £3,000,000 in the estimates of costs of Braeburn over a period of eight or nine months.