Department Replies To Power Board Complaint

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 32037, 11 July 1969, Page 8

Department Replies To Power Board Complaint

Capital work completed, or in hand, to improve supply to the Central Canterbury Electric Power Board exceeded slm in value, and to date, about twothirds of the work had been completed, said the District Electrical Engineer of the New Zealand Electricity Department (Mr H, W. Jennings) yesterday.

He was replying to criticism made at a board meeting on Tuesday that the department was not doing enough to safeguard the continuity of supply to the board’s industrial and domestic consumers.

Mr Jennings said that it could be expected, with the ever-increasing demand, additional facilities would be provided for the board. Since 1963. work had been almost continually in progress on the board’s supply. “At Islington, we provided 8500 kw at 33,000 volte until July, 1963, when the capacity was Increased to 15,000 kw,” he said. “In 1966 the capacity was increased, this time to 50,000 kw. Recently, a duplicate 50,000 kw transformer bank was commissioned, bringing the capacity available solely for the board’s system up to 1000,000 kw. “The maximum load to date has been 41,000 kw so we have the ability to supply the whole of the board’s load from either of the two transformer banks. “In step with this expansion, switchgear has been installed to provide for extra feeders at 33,000 volts and at present there are more feeder points available at Islington than the board is using. “At the point of supply to the board at Horbrata the capacity has likewise been

. doubled and the design is be- , ing completed and an early start scheduled for a sub1 station at Springston to give ’ an additional supply by 1970. [ “A recent prearranged shut-down which was criti- ' clsed was brought about by ' the necessity of removing 1 equipment which had been > provided solely to eliminate i more frequent shut-downs, for regular maintenance. “This had been fully dis- • cussed with the board’s staff, , who had the choosing of the

date and time on which this should take place. “The date chosen by them was sooner than the one which we had expected so that the complaint made about inadequate notice being given to the board is hard to sustain. “Considerable work was done before and after this shut-down by us to meet the request of the board for alternative supplies. I am not aware of any points where requests were not met.”