Fuel concern at Vanda Station

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33514, 20 April 1974, Page 14

Fuel concern at Vanda Station

Long periods of calm weather in the Wright Valley is causing the Antarctic division of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research concern about the availability of sufficient fuel at Vanda Station for the winter.

Mr R. B. Thomson, the, superintendent of the’ division, said in Christchurch yesterday that the small base, manned by four men, had only enough diesel fuel to run the generating plants for two-thirds of the; winter. Because there had been no: wind for sometimes 30! consecutive days the wind generators had not been’ working and the diesel gen-’ erating plants had been' running all the time. To conserve the fuel it is likely that the generators will have to be cut off occasionally and while this would not affect the scientific work it would affect the’ creature comforts. Mr Thomson said there was a reserve of propane gas which might have to be used to heat the buildings. This is the third winter j that men have carried out; research at Vanda Station to' try to establish, among other'

■ things, the normal climate ini the valley. During the first winter! there was little wind and ■ reasonable temperatures but last winter there was considerable wind and low tem- : peratures. Mr Thomson (said this winter seemed to; be following the climatic; 'pattern of the first. Although total darkness is| ! almost upon Antarctica, the( .men at Scott Base are still! ‘able to do survival training,! climbing, and crevasse work. ■ exercise the dog teams and; ’ field test some modified snow; ' toboggans. The division pur- ; chased these from the’ American, Mr W. Pederson.’ J who had once planned to | drive them overland to the; ; Amundsen-Scott South Pole! ; Station. I Mr Thomson said the prob- j lem with the snow toboggans | ■jwas that they were far too’ Jfast and would not work i(under very cold conditions' ■land thus had been modified, i