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SOUTH ISLAND POWER

Serious Shortage Not Likely NEW GENERATING UNITS (By Telegraph—Press Association.) CHRISTCHURCH, February 5. There is not likely to be a serious Shortage of power in the South Island, according to official calculations, unless an unusually dry winter is experienced. The use of the new generating units at Waitaki has enabled the storage of sufficient water to be made at the other supply points—Lake Coleridge, Monowai and Waipori— to meet expected needs. This was explained in tm interview by the Chief Electrical Engineer to the Publie Works Department, Mr. F. T. M. Kissel. He indicated, on the other hand, that rhe departmenr was seriously perturbed about delays in the delivery of plant for power supply extensions. 'These delays might affect the supply position in 1942, but for the coming winter only unusually dry conditions would cause the authorities any great concern, he said. To emphasize the difficulties being met in the supply of plant for new stations and for additions to existing stations, Mr. Kissel said that generators being built for New Zealand in Great Britain had actually been damaged by enemy action while on the shop floors, while other plant ordered some time ago from Sweden was still held up in that country and there seemed little prospect of having the machinery released. "I cannot see that there is much prospect of any serious shortage in the South Island,” Mr. Kissel said. "That applies to the coming winter, when water supply is normally short in Canterbury and other generating areas. For future years there is not much prospect of a shortage unless deliveries of plant stop altogether. We have taken full advantage of the additional units at Waitaki, and they will l>e run all summer as long as the water lasts.

"Their use to full capacity has allowed ns to store water in Lake Coleridge. Lake Monowai and Waipori. where considerable additional water has been penned up for use during the winter. In fact, they are almost full. We will be able to run on that storage for the winter, and I can say that there is not much fear of a shortage this winter in the South Island. If we had an exceedingly adverse season we might have trouble, but the season would have to be really exceptional.

"The position in the North Island is much worse than in the South.”

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19410206.2.129

Bibliographic details

Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 113, 6 February 1941, Page 10

Word Count
395

SOUTH ISLAND POWER Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 113, 6 February 1941, Page 10

SOUTH ISLAND POWER Dominion, Volume 34, Issue 113, 6 February 1941, Page 10