ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Dominion, Volume 36, Issue 219, 11 June 1943, Page 2

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Outline Of North Island System

Dominion Special Service.

HASTINGS, June 10. The Hastings Retailers’* Association decided to take no action regarding early closing on Friday evenings after hearing au address given by the manager ot the Hawke’s Bay Electric Power Board, Mr. H H. Wylie, to a well-attended meeting presided over by the president, Mr. A. H. Bradshaw. , , , , , . In au outline of the hydro-electric system in the North Island, Mr. Wylie described how the supply from the three main generating stations, Arapuni, Waikaremoana, and Mangahao, together with the subsidiary stations, was all coupled to a common network plant. At Hastings the power-house was running 12 hours a day for six days a week, and it consumed 5000 gallons: of fuel oil a week, together with a smaller plant at Palmerston North. Two railway fuel wagons were kept running continuously to keep the two plants working. The station at Waikarcmoana and the new unit were described. This unit was the most up-to-date iu New Zealand and was au example of how the Public Works Department kept abreast of the times. The capacity of these plants was governed by hydraulics, and because of the dry weather the plants were not being operated at their full capacity. When the Hastings plant was taken over froili the borough council the annual consumption was 3,500,000 units, and today it was 18,000,000. The Hawke’s Bay Power Board was allowed a 3 per cent, increase ■on last year’s consumption. After being consistently 13 per cent, above, last week, owing to favourable weather, it had been reduced to 34 per cent. Plow a watch was kept on consumption was described by Mr. Wylie, and how, if there were no reduction after receipt of a warning, the supply would be temporarily cut off. Last week three boards had their supply cut off. The switching gear at the Redcliffe distributing station was so arranged that districts not complying with the regulations could be temporarily cut off.

Six million units per annum were used in Hastings for domestic purposes other than water-heating, while commercial lighting used 1,500,000 units. The freezing works used 2,000,000 units each. The restrictions, so far as shop lighting was concerned, would not be limited to the winter months, said Mr. Wylie. Retailers were not expected to do more than was required by the regulations. “Every extra foot of water stored in Lake Taupo means a week’s supply of electricity to the whole of the North Island,” said Mr. Wylie. “At the- present moment two large bulldozers are working 24 hours a day in a seven-day week dragging the lake bed proper from the outlet for about a quarter of a mile south in order to get au increased flow out of the lake.” . From reports and observations the dam appeared to be in good order. Owing to the shortage of coal there bad been more water let through the dam much earlier this year, and this seemed to have created tlie impression iu Taupo that the dam must have leaked. There was no doubt whatever about the dam being a success, and the shortage of electricity would have been much more acute if that water had not been stored.