Hydro lake levels rise to 58 per cent full

Press, 10 April 1978, Page 7

Hydro lake levels rise to 58 per cent full

Wellington Hydro lake levels rose over all last week from 42 per cent full to 58 per cent, the acting general manager’ the Electricity Department (Mr C. M. Bamherry) said. However, there was now; an imbiance between the levels m the North Island and South Island, he said. While lake levels in the. South Island rose from 53 per cent of nominal full to 75 per cent. North Island

lake levels fell almost 5 per. cent. I Mr Bamberry said the) level of power saving was! encouraging. It had improved, to be 5.3 per cent better than the national guidelines last week, com-; pared with 4.1 per cent better the week before. Last week’s total spending; on fuel for electricity generation was $1,052,580. compared with $2,302,720 the; previous week. This reduc-; tion was a result of the im-: proved hydro storage posi-; tion. making it possible to;

stop generation at the Marsden oil-fired station. The contribution from gasfired generation had increased to 23 per cent, costing $775,740, while oil-fired! generation had been only; nominal at $56,990. com-1 pared with the previous week’s $1,239,810, said Mr| Bamberry. Coal-fired generation con-) tnbuted 4.4 per cent at a; i cost of $219,850. Hydro sta-; tions contributed 66.1 per; ’cent of electricity supplied,; and geothermal. 6 per cent. )