BENMORE POWER

Press, Volume C, Issue 29637, 6 October 1961, Page 16

BENMORE POWER

Progress Of Work The Benmore project was more than one-third complete, Mr J. W, Ridley, project engineer in charge of hydro-electric works in the Waitaki valley, told about 70 persons at a meeting of the Canterbury branch of the Royal Society last evening. To the reporter he said that about £lom had been spent

The earth dam was more than one-third complete, Mr Ridley said. Three-quarters of the spilling-block had been completed. Excavations had been made and concreting remained to be done. The intake for the penstocks was about half completed, and the excavations for the powerhouse had been made and concreting begun last month. A large switching station would be near the powerhouse at Benmore. This would transmit electricity at 500.000 volts in direct current to Haywards by the Cook Strait cable. The total power which could be transmitted was 600,000 kilowatts of the 800,000 kilowatts which would be produced from the scheme.

Work was proving cheaper than had been estimated, Mr Ridley said. He attributed this is part to the use of large and modern machinesAn older type of machine used to bore Ift of rock in about 20 minutes. New com-pressed-air machines bored the same distance in about two minutes.

Development of the whole upper Waitaki basin was also discussed by Mr Ridley. Specific designs were now being prepared for Aviemore and drilling and prospecting were being undertaken for the earth dam and the concrete. They were opening up the site for construction to begin next year. The type of material was very suitable, better on the Canterbury side where most of the structure would be, but quite adequate on the Otago side. There were schemes for taking a canal from Tekapo to Pukaki for power stations at Maryburn and Pukaki. The project at Maryburn would provide 60,000 kilowatts and at Pukaki 130,000 kilowatts. A large power station at the head of the projected Benmore lake at the Ohau bridge would produce 500,000 kilowatts.