Long cut for M.E.D. area

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33463, 19 February 1974, Page 1

Long cut for M.E.D. area

Power for water heating was cut off at 11 a.m. yesterday for 12 hours in the Municipal Electricity Department area.

The cuts are being imposed to compensate for excesive use of power last week, when the allocation for the area was exceeded by 2 per cent.

The general manager for the M.E.D. (Mr J. P. Shelley) said yesterday that the department had started the week well inside the allocation, but the colder weather at the week-end caused the advantage to be lost. “The eight-hour waterheating cut on Sunday was not enough to balance the budget, and cuts had to be imposed again,” he said. "Whether further cuts are imposed will depend on the weather and the amount of voluntary saving by consumers,” Mr Shelley said. The chief engineer for the Central Canterbury Electric Power Board (Mr P. D. Rutledge) said that the board had imposed a five-hour cut from 11 a.m. and would review the situation again today. Heathcote free The Heathcote County Council made no cuts in water heating yesterday as the consumption appeared to be slightly under allocation. Power for water heating was cut off in Heathcote County for five hours on Sunday.

So far the Riccarton and Lyttelton borough councils are the only authorities which have not been obliged to enforce water-heating power cuts in their areas. Hydro lake levels in the South Island climbed last week but Taupo continued to

I drop, according to a Press I Association message from I Wellington. | The Minister of Electricity I (Mr McGuigan) said yesterday that the need for con!servation of electricity was still great in spite of die I week-end’s rain. Taupo fell j “We have to remember that hydro storage at present is well below last year’s level. Much more rain is needed yet,” Mr McGuigan said. Lake Taupo dropped another 6 per cent last week. Generation at the oil-fired power station at Marsden resumed at the week-end to ease the drain on Taupo. Lakes Hawea and Tekapo both increased 2.5 per cent last week to 67.7 and 89.7 per cent full respectively. Pukaki rose more than 7 per cent to 64.3 per cent full.

Benmore went up to within 4ft of its minimum level. Lake Manapouri has climbed ito I.Bft over its minimum level.