POWER FAILURE IN AUCKLAND
BIG AREA AFFECTED MISHAP AT OTAHUHU SUBSTATION (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND, January 24. A quarter of New Zealand’s population was without electric power for about half an hour this afternoon, when a switching error occurred in the Otahuhu substation. Industry and public transport were halted, and hospitals hurriedly switched to emergency equipment. At 2.32 p.m M a master switch in the substation was accidentally tripped off while switchmen were overhauling the equipment. With the power load suddenly removed, the generator at Maraetai supplying the northern part of the North Island sped up to danger limit, and was then automatically tripped off and slowed down. Power supply ceased to the Franklin, Auckland, Waitemata. North Auckland. and Bay of Islands Electric Power Boards. At the Otahuhu substation, there was a spectacular and vivid blue flash as 110,000 volts arced. No-one was injured and no equipment was damaged. By 2.55 p.m., the big generator at Maraetai was again operating normally, and/ power was restored to the Auckland district.
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Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27875, 25 January 1956, Page 12
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170POWER FAILURE IN AUCKLAND Press, Volume XCIII, Issue 27875, 25 January 1956, Page 12
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