POWERFUL PROJECT

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31539, 29 November 1967, Page 9

POWERFUL PROJECT

Progress At Manapouri (N.Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, Nov. 28. The $U2m Manapouri power station will begin generating power in December, 1969, according to engineers workling on the project. Work is going well both on the complex underground powerhouse system at West Arm and in the tailrace tunnel at Deep Cove. According to Bechtel-Paci-fic’s project manager at West Arm (Mr D. S. Norris), the over-all project is at present 56 per cent complete. The tailrace tunnel is 74 per cent complete and the powerhouse complex 37 per cent. “Finishing work” will begin soon, including the placing of tens of thousands of cubic yards of concrete lining, and installing the equipment necessary to generate 700,000 kilowatts of electricity. Many of the men who have been engaged in excavation work will be transferred to the concrete crews. Already 368,000 tons of rock have been excavated at West Arm, and the eventual total will be 816,000 tons. At Deep Cove, 1,400,000 tons have been excavated, the total target there being 1,828,000 tons. There are now 1590 men employed on the Manapouri project—9Bo at West Arm and 610 at Deep Cove.