New electricity user
The West Coast Electric Power Board caters for some 11,000 consumers spread over an area of 18,0175 q km, from Lyell in the north to Awarua Point in South Westland.
At present 55 per cent of West Coast electricity comes from the national grid and the remaining 45 per cent is generated in nine local power stations.
One hundred years after electricity generation commenced in Reefton, the prospects for electricity are still encouraging on the West Coast.
The largest user of electricity in the region will be the new Ngahere gold dredge which will start working on the Grey River in September.
A new venture, the Grey River Gold Mining, Ltd, involves two overseas firms, R. A. Hanson Co. of Spokane in Washington, and Giant Resources of Sydney.
The dredge, which is being specially built for the project, has some unique features to provide for a high standard of land reclamation.
According to Mr Richard Hanson, the mining company’s project manager, the technology on the dredge is very innovative and the development is attracting attention world-wide from alluvial miners.
The power capacity of the dredge is three megawatts (3000 kW), or similar to the capacity of the new Parkroyal Hotel
in Christchurch.
A power line has been built from Dobson to an extensive new substation at Ngahere. The substation will take the 33,000 volt supply down to 11,000 volts for the dredge.
Mr Bob Milne, the secretary for the West Coast Electric Power Board says that electricity started on the West Coast with gold mining and it looks as if goldmining is starting in a big way again.
“We have come in a complete circle during the last hundred years,” he said.
Another significant user of electricity could be the new Rapahoe coal mine near Greymouth if it goes ahead next year.
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Press, 5 August 1988, Page 22
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305New electricity user Press, 5 August 1988, Page 22
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