More Power Than At First Thought

Press, Volume C, Issue 29697, 15 December 1961, Page 22

More Power Than At First Thought

tFrom Our Own tkvporter)

WEUJNGTON, Dec. 14. Mtjch inore power than was at first thought will be available from the initial development of the Maaaipouri-Te Anau lake system. It will be considerably in excess of the amount required by Comalco Industries. Ltd., to develop the first stage at the proposed aluminium smelter near Invercargill. As a result, Comalco has offered the New Zealand Government the use of about 90,000 kilowatts from the Underground Manaipouri station which the company wiM build to supply the smelter. The Government will have the use of this block of power for many years until the company is in a position to: expand the aluminium output at Invercargill to a newly-revised upper limit of 300,000 long fons a year; The new estimate of the first-stage power potential of the scheme was given tonight by a director of the parent company. Consolidated Zinc Pty, Ltd., Mr D. J. Hibberd, who has been in New Zealand for the last three days conferring with Government officials and the Minister of Electricity (Mr Goosman). Offer Confirmed Mr Hibberd confirmed totuigiht that an offer had been made to the Government of the excess power likely to be available. This proposal is being examined in detail by officers of the Ministry of Works and the New Zealand Electricity Department. It has not yet been considered by the Cabinet. In conjunction with the Cook Strait cable, the use of the extra 90,000 kilowatts, which is the equivalent of the output of the Karapiro station, could influence a decision to proceed with the construction of another North Island power station. A decision to use the additional power from Manapouri for the national grid would involve construction of about 300 miles of new transmission lines to link the power station with the existing transmission network which

will feed into the Cook Strait cable. Government participation in the construction of the Manapouri scheme is therefore considered a possibility although discussions between government officials and representatives of Comalco have not yet reached this stage.