First Aviemore Generator On Load Before Winter

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31585, 24 January 1968, Page 8

First Aviemore Generator On Load Before Winter

(BY A STAFF REPORTER)

Two months ahead of schedule, the diversion race taking the Waitaki River past the Aviemore dam and power-house should be closed to fill its storage lake by the end of April. One, and probably two, of the four generators should be on load soon after that.

The 1000-man construction, engineering and administrative staff returned to work after the Christmas break, their efforts now concentrated on the completion, chiefly, of the concrete section of the dam, and on the power-house itself.

Work started on the project in October, 1962, with June this year as the original date for the generation of the first power. The job should be finished for considerably less than the original estimated cost of s44m.

“Large-scale pouring on the concrete section of the dam is almost complete, with 550,000 cubic yards in place out of a total of 570,000 cubic yards,” said the resident engineer for the Ministry of Works (Mr S. M. J. Smith). “The earth dam is complete except for a little work to be done on the downstream face. Emphasis is now being placed on the installation of mechanical gear for the spillway and intakes.” The programme, he said, was tentative, but it looked as though the diversion race would be closed to have the lake filled by the end of April. The actual filling should take about 10 days. As the ministry’s staff finish the civil engineering, an 80man specialist team of Ihe

New Zealand Electricity Department is at work on the generators and related work. “We have virually completed the installation of No. 1 generator and are well on with No. 2,” said the department’s resident engineer (Mr E. B. Farrant). “Turbine work for Nos 3 and 4 is well advanced, and the outdoor switch-yard is completed, and connected to the national grid. We hope to have two generators ready for testing when the lake is filled.” The first of five 62-ton Italian-made transformers has just arrived at Aviemore by road from Timaru, and is being prepared for installation. One job is to fill it with 5400 gallons of insulating oil, to bring its weight to 91 tons. The transformer and its mates are new to New Zealand power-stations in that they are of the three-phase type. Only one is needed for each generator instead of the conventional three. The use of transformers of this type and size has been made possible by improved port and transport facilities, and there has been a saving in costs.

Mr Farrant said that plans were to have No. 3 generator

in service by August, and No. 4 in December. Aviemore's plant has an international flavour. The turbines are Canadian AllisChalmers, the generators German Siemens, the transformers Italian Compagnia Generale di Elettricita and the switchgear Swiss Brown ■ Boveri. The 550-kilowatt : auxiliary generator for the • station and permanent vil- • lage power is British-made, • and major items in the con--1 struction plant are American- ‘ made. r Bigger Than Waikato [ It is not commonly realised 1 that when Aviemore comes ’ into commission, the com--1 bined output of the four Wai- ’ taki stations, will exceed that ’ of the eight stations on the ’ Waikato River, and will form New Zealand's biggest power 1 complex. ! Aviemore’s four 55,000 kw ’ generators will produce ' 220,000 kw to add to Ben- ’ more’s 540,000 kw, Waitaki’s 1 105,000 kw and the 25,000 kw ■ from Texapo, a total of • 890,000 kw. ' That is not the end of the ■ story. Stations which are '■ planned on the upper Wai- ! taki basin could deliver another 700,000 kw, and a 1 series of low-head generating stations to take advantage of ’ the 700 ft fall in the river i between Waitaki dam and the I sea could yield 600,000 kw. No decision has been made : on future works, but the most likely one is the Maryburn ; scheme, involving a canal and 1 tunnel between Lakes Tekapo

and Pukaki with a station near Pukaki delivering 68,000 kw. The photograph shows the first of the five giant Italian-made transformers which will convert Aviemore’s 11,000 volts to 220,000 volts for transmission to the national grid.