POWER SUPPLY

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 29, 3 August 1921, Page 6

POWER SUPPLY

CITY'S PREPARATIONS

A SCHEME IN READINESS

GRADUAL CHANGE-OVER.

With regard to the recent statements in The Post concerning the City Council having no scheme for the, utilisation of the Government hydro-electric supply when it is available, the Mayor (Mr. R. A. Wright) made the following statement to-day:—

"I desire to say that such is not the case. The chief elecsrical engineer, Mr. M. Cable, has been engaged on this for some time, with a view to preparing for the supply, and to enable him to deal with the matter satisfactorily he has been provided with a properly qualified assistant.''

Particulars of the scheme were given by the Mayor as follows:—" The scheme which has been prepared has in view the utilisation of the hydro-electric supply immediately it is available, and provides for the installation of the necessary cables, and stationary and rotating equipment required for converting the Government's 11,000 volts, three-phase, 50-period supply to suit the city's power and lighting requirements, i " The sites have been selected for the principal high-tension sub-stations for dealing with both the direct and alternating current supplies for tramway., private power and lighting purposes, and* decisions arrived at regarding the necessary machinery.

"Providing "money is obtainable without delay to_ enable the new steamdriven 50-period supply to be brought into commission within the next -two years, the Department anticipates being in a position to take over the greater portion, if not the whole of its requirements, from the hydTo-electric Supply immediately the latter is available at Ngahauranga.

"By changing a portion of existing generating equipment from steam to motor drive, it will not be necessary to complete the conversion of the existing 80-iperiod distribution system before th« city can {jet the advantage of the Government supply. The changing over will eventually necessitate the discarding of existing street transformers, meter, and A.C. motors, but it is not anticipated that there will be need for any drastic alterations in the wiring of private and public premises which meet the requirements of the existing regulations. The whole of the street reticulation will ultimately require to be remodelled to enable power to be taken directly from the nw system of supply. "The changing over to the new system of cMstribution cannot be done except graoiially, and will take some years to complete."