HYDRO-ELECTRICAL AGE

Evening Post, Volume CVI, Issue 105, 31 October 1923, Page 11

HYDRO-ELECTRICAL AGE

j HARNESSING THE WATERFALL | POWER IN THE SERVICE OF MAN ':\ NEW ZEALAND'S ACHIEVEMENTS

In Sweden the livers flow from the mountains in'a succession of falls, and a single river will be found to have ;been utilised several times over at different stages in the course of its descent to the sea. So much, cheaper is electrical power than coal there that some of the paper-pulp manufacturers actually use thousands, of horse-power in electrical current to heat the pulp boilers. Switzerland, with its Alps and its waterfalls, lends itself naturally to iydro-electrifieatiin, and this has reached such a degree that the railways of the country are now practically all electrified. The same process is taking place in Italy, especially in the north, and the effect/is that these two countries which are totally lacking in coal or oil or other cheap fuel, nevertheless quite hold their, own in manufacturing industry

'■•'i Of all the sources of power at the ser ■M *ice of man, electricity has come to bo • t recognised as the most convenient, and. ",'\ under favourable circumstances, as the ,\'k cheapest. It is not strictly what "might 'J\ be called an original power; it has first ■\'J to be generated from other natural re--V| servoirs of energy, and on these and l'.4j their abundance or ease of application 'y& its cheapness relatively depends. Where ':£§ there is an ample supply of coal read'S/X ily obtainable, electricity may be generated at a comparatively low cost, as, ■"v^ for instance, in the great coal fields of v/s the United States, Britain, the Ruhr ? $?■ Valley, and in Australia, at Newcastle tr 5j and Sydney, and, with, inferior coal, if ;syji easily mined, at Morwell, in Victoria. :<ti-i But where water power is accessible in yf'i abundance, electricity is seen'to the best t*r& advantage. ' f£Q CLASSIC NIAGARA. '/.';■ 1 The classic instance, of course, is the ■\l"l utilisation of the Niagara Falls by the V^j United States and Canada to the extent ''■'•f'i of many hundreds of thousands of horse>vi| power. Here there is a prodigious source of energy -available at low cost. —£% of construction per horse-power close to ■'.**• I great centres of population, and the ViV-l most has been made of the opportunity ■e~-?i up to the present time. ' The Hydro-, ■'■"'1 Electric Pow.-r Commission of Ontario, ■}~ys Canada, is to-day distributing nearly '1 Yd 000 horse-power throughout a wide ;'-''• I area of the province of Ontario, and 'ii'i\ American companies are taking similar "'Z<i quantities from tho United States, side ■"--'% of the Falls. The tbtal hydraulic energy L>.--'»4 of Ontario is estimated at from 5,000,C0U \'* f's to 6,000,000 horse-power, or nearly nine *£$ times the Power ** Present developed, •\'-":ij so that there is ample room for. extent's sions of power by later generations. It tV'^ is significant that in the area served by •"':%--1 the Hydro-Elect.-ic Commission the cost "v;'': 8 of po«: cr has been reduced from £12 .to I £14 per horse-power by steam to £3 10s per horse-power per <year by hydro-S-ctricity-practically the lowest cost £"i-'?:'1 for power in the whole world. V.-.I The 'great benefits to the community of =V^l'tKe utilisation cf' water-power for the £7;*4 generation of electricity have been real~'MJ\ Tsed all over the United States and 'VV*! Canada, and new schemes of developn.ent are proceeding all the time. In :&4 California hundreds of thousands, of "•^-"•■■'J horse-power have been developed at the MM c°sl of many millions of doliars. Mr. K. Lane, late United States !P^l Secretary of 'he Interior, said a few C-'-'-l years ago: "Water-power can do more anything U> lower. the cost and fcf-r* luise the staniard of living-, > v the >«-^1 ro-^t of agricultural wealth; it is the key Z the industrial life of the future and \-''Vi i< i 3 essential to our notional defence. r-S,'4'Ml -The policy of die Government towards P/M v,ater-power affect* the welfare of every !;-"^;^l man, woman, aad child. S>«^| PROGRESS IN EUROPE. . * —V-r| ■In Europe the Scandinavian countries of Norway and Sweden have made lin•V'j'i'i meiwe progress in the utilisation ot their -*V>:;g % ast . water-power resources. Morway ; ,>vt| has the highest hydro-electric power per i<i J. y-% head cf population in the whole world, "filA -nd Sweden comss not far behind. ■" 'j'^A Hydro-electricity has been the salya'■■?■'&»s iion* of Norway and Sweden, which t'/fiii otherwise could never have maintained :tV/;J al , increasing .population on agricultural ;'O J;;-:i resources, which are poor as regards ch?*S*'l-& iiiite and soil, while there is no coal to >-<V'| furnish power for a .manufacturing in-~-V~y-a d-'stry Water-power is, however, abun•i~r.is drnt. and every advantage has been ''"..*;;v-| taken of its possibilities to _ generate ,i;.s';'.v| electricity for great industries like.wood"'£iK%-| pulp manufactaro in Sweden and electro-■'^f'-i% chemical products in Norway. ■ Both if.^~fi countries make great uae of electricity ;";>://,? ; n nlra l occupations, and it _is not too CKt'J-Oi'A much to say that this has given a new ift/f-'iTJ life to the land in Scandinavia, with its i.^^'vlxjouious climate and long winter nighta,

ASIA AND AFRICA

In Asia the -chief hydro-electric development is taking place in Japan, where f.he plan is ultimately to electrify tho whole of the railway system, as well as to supply power to a multitude of industries lor which the natural manual genius of the people is fitted.. On the other side, of the. Asiatic continent, in Palestine, a great project is on foot now to harness the waters of the River Jordan in its fall of over 1300 feet in the course of about a, hundred miles in its course to the Dead Sea. The power will be used largely, to pump water for the irrigation of the fertile but dry areas of the Holy Land. In the Southern Hemisphere the resources for water-power are by no means comparable with those of the Northern. South Africa has possibilities, principally in the Victoria Falls on the Zambesi/but the distances are too great for immediate effective development, though

the problem has received consideration. Australia lias little water power available, except in Tasmania, where the fall from the Great ■. Lake has bean effectively utilised and opened up a new future for the "Apple State.'' South America has numerous waterfalls, notably the Falls of the Iguazzu, almost the equal of Niagara, but this and others are far too distant from centres of civilisation to come within the purview of schemes for early exploitation.

There remains the Dominion of New Zealand, fortunately, for its inhabitants, the exception to the general scantiness

of water-power resources in; this hemisphere. New Zealand is one of the great hydro countries of the world.by its natural configuration, rainfall, and distribution of population. \ '_ . ' It would not be appropriate ■ to compare New Zealand with Canada and the United States and the great hydro-elec-tric system centering about the' Niagara Falls. A more suitable comparison would be with Scandiriavia~S\veden and Norway—.and Switzerland and Italy. The population of Scandinavia is about eight millions and a half, and Switzerland three ' and a half millions. Each is a country of fairly small holdings'like New Zealand, and the purpose for which electricity is used would.be much the same. Scandinavia and Switzerland,- however, have done a great deal towards electrifying their railways, while New Zealand has only made a start by the electrification of the Otira Tunnel. At the same time 'it 'must be' remembered that' the European countries have been developing their water power resources . for a good many years, while in New Zealand there is only one major hydro-electric generating station—namely, Lake Coleridge—in actual use, unless the Horahora. and Waipori stations are included. The available water- power in New Zealand from ■ sources already examined amounts, in estimate, to practically 4,000,000 horse-power, of which 750,000 horse-power is located in the North Island, and the remainder in the South. Unfortunately, with-minor exceptions, the sources of water power are some- distance away from centres of population, which in New Zealand are mostly along the seaboard.. The greatest powers, sueh 1 as the falls of the Upper Waikato, Waikaremoana, and the Rangitikei River, in the North Island, a-nd Rotoroa Lake, the Clarence River, Lake Te Kapo, Lake Te Anau, and Lake Manapouri in the South, are all a little remote from industrial centres. The greatest power of all—that from Lake Te Anau_, with a station on George Sound—ig estimated to be capable of developing 1,600,000 horsepower, and-the next is Lake Manapouri, with a station on Smith Sound, with estimated power of 810,000 horse-power. Such powers could probably only be effectively utilised in the manufacture of electro-chemical and electro-metallurgical products, such as aluminium, carbide of calcium, and artificial nitrates.

IN THE HANDS OF THE STATE

The New Zealand Government has acted wisely, especially in view of what has happened in the United States and the great fight that toak place some years ago for the control of the Canadian hydro-electric power' from Niagara, in deciding to retain the development of its water power'resources in the hands of

power 6.1 per cent., and oil power 1.3 ' per cent, of che total electrical energy supplied. ' The number of consumers supplied in- ' creased during last financial year from 88,838 to 105,790, an increase of 20 per cent. The total population included in the various <'reas of electric power supply is 767,600, or over 60 per cent, of the total population of the Dominion. Thu3 the ideal of a supply available to : every home in the Dominion is well on . the way. to realisation. . . . ", • The total outlay on hydro-electric development at the end of last year was . £2,170,100, and' substantial sums are authorised for the continuance of. the work. There are two main State schemes in actual operation, Lake Coleridge, in Canterbury, and Horahora, in the Waikato. Two large schemes are more or less in an advanced state of development. These are Mangahao, for the southern portion of the North Island, and Waikaremoana, for the East Coast. A commencement has been made with the exploitation of the fall'of the Wai-! kato Eiver in the Arapuni Gorge, which will be one of the major stations of the North Island. .

the State. Progress may be slower that way, but it is surer, and, .as experience "has shown in ' other 'countries, more in the direction of benefiting the whole ■community than"of' serving purely private interests.

A good" deal has already been achieved. There are thirty-one" hydro-electric plants in the Dominion, including those run by private enterprise, and by local authorities. The capacity is 29,386 kilowatts, or 51.1 per cent, of the electrical power generated in the Dominion. Steam power .represents 41.5 per cent., gas

EXISTING STATIONS

Of the two schemes in actual operation Lake Coleridge is the older—indeed, it is the forerunner and archetype of hydro-electric development in New Zealand. On its operation calculation for the-future have been largely based, and on its success many hopes have been i raised. The installation at the Lake Coleridge power-house has been brought up to the full capacity of the present tunnel—l2.ooo kilowatts or 16,000 h.p., and further extensions involving the construction of another tunnel are in hand. The fall from Lake Coleridge to the Rakaia River is 480 feet, through a tunnel, 7000 ft long and Bft in diameter, to the pipe lines which drop to the powerhouse by the river. Coleridge is about 65 miles from Christchurch, and the power is carried at 66,000 volts in aluminium transmission cables borne on overhead lines. The great bulk, of the power is used on Ohristchurch City, but developments are taking place for the distribution of the power throughout Canterbury. The capital outlay on the scheme has been £843,033, and the profit for the year was £5300 last year, without paying for sinking fund.

The other large State hydro-electrical scheme in operation is the Horahora station utilising the Horahora rapids on the Waikato River, and • supplying the Thames Valley and the central and eastern Waikato districts. This was originally a private company installation for the purpose of furnishing power to the Waihi gold' mines, but it is now a State euterprise. The mines still take the bulk of the power and constitute the main source of revenue, but the Power

'd^^^^^^ INCE the "Evening Post" commenced its series of special issues in con(P I Qv nection with the Manawatu Spring and Winter Shows at Palmerston Jffl {^" cjiL North, more than fifteen years ago, the Manawatu district, with its rich gift «S1 i! 8 farm lands and thriving boroughs, has shown marked progress. Every Jj/i /i^ Ijg year there has been something new to record'in the development, side "MO, m by side, of town and country—application of new methods to rural int> t J^JL_°^ S dustry; cheapening and increasing production; improvement 'in . herds , '3=grtgsi§fi--9 and flocks; closer settlement of land of side lines in farming ; . and, in general, intenser cultivation in a district admirably adapted for scientific husbandry. Progress .in the country has been reflected by progress in the town, and Palmerston North to-day is in the! course, of a fresh phase of growth and expansion. While much of this may be due to the prosperous condition of the dairy industry, of which Palmerston North is a great centre, there is another vital factor in the advance of the district — - ■•-• This is the prospect in the near-future of a bountiful' supply of electric energy for town and country, from the great power station, well advanced towards .completion, at the Mangaore Stream, in the foothills of the Tararuas, near Shannon, utilising the waters of tho Mangahao and the Tokomaru, in the high valleys of the ranges, by diverting them through tunnels in the intervening ridges to fall nearly a thousand feet to the Manawatu Plain. From this source will radiate energy through miles of copper transmission lines all over the countryside of the Horowhenua, Manawatu, Wairarapa, and Rangitikei districts, as far north as Wanganui and as far south as Wellington. What the effect will be, say, in ten years' time, it is almost impossible to forecast adequately to-day. The ex-pei-ience of other countries, like Canada, California, Sweden, and Switzerland, where hydro-electric systems have been tried out, and of Canterbury and the Waikato districts in New Zealand, which already have their hydro stations; gives earnest of similar auccess in the Mangahao area. . In the Manawatu, under the direetioh-of a live Power Board, with an able and enterprising engineer, much has already been achieved towards preparing the way for the reception of current from Mangahao. Reticulation of the district, with: distributing lines and the enrolment of consumers, have reached a most satisfactory stage, and it is quite certain that Manawatu will be ready when the current is turned on from Mangahao. The articles and illustrations in this special issue indicate various aspects, in the progress of the hydro-electric scheme. :

Boards and other consumers, such as local authorities, like the Hamilton Borough Couucil, are rapidly increasing their share of the. load and their coutribution to the revenue, and in: a few years will probably outstrip, the mines. For the last financial year the revenue from the mines- and from the other consumers vras about equal. The chief interest in the soheme is that it supplies a. great quantity of current to the- dairy farms in .the district, and is thus the type of the .station which will be most used, at least, in the rural parts of the North Island.. ' The Horahora Station is already overloaded, ' and will, be. extended 'by early next year from 6300 kilowatt to 10,300. SCHEMES IN CONSTRUCTION. There are three other schemes in various stages of construction in the

North Island. These are the Mangah,ao scheme fox' supplying Wellington City and province, including the Wanganui and southern Hawkes Bay districts; the Waikaremoana scheme, utilising the waters of Lake Waikaremoana and supplying the Napier, Wairoa, Gisborne, and East Coast district*: and the Arapuni Gorge station exploiting the Waikato River and supplying the surrounding district and Auckland City. The Mangaha'o scheme is Well known to the readers of "Tho Post," progress reports | having appeared • in these columns at fairly llose intervals during the last throe or four, years. The station, about

with provision for mbr«, up. to an ultimate capacity- of. 18;000,:kw.,- with arrangements whereby c'urrenViriay 'be supplied over Government transmission Hues. The Southland Power Board is installing its own hydro-electric "station at L;ike Monowai with two .unite, of" 20DU kw. each. It should:be added that the New Plymouth Borough has ' plans in progress for a power station of 4500 kw. on the; Waiwhakaiho River, and the Taranaki Power Board, one of 1500 Uw. at Tal'iki. There are numerous other small local schemes either in or under construction. Nearly all ox these will form useful supplements to the power furnished for the ■ State hydroelectric installations. '.

three miles from the. town of Shannon, utilises the waters of the Mangahao and Tokomaru Rivers, dammed up in the Tararua range, and carried by means of tunnels through the ridges, to a point on the western slppe of the hills where a fall of nearly,a, thousand feet will furnish 24,000 kilowatts of electrical, energy. • Waikaremoana is an example of eas-ily-harnessed : water-power • of considerable magnitude suffering from the. disadvantage of- remoteness from centres of population; probably no scheme in the Dominion is so easily worked and so cheaply. from the engineering point of view, but there is no large, town near Waikaremoana,' and' the.coiyritry itself is thinly populated. I"or this reason the Hydro-Electric branch of the Public Works Department proposes to go slow in the development of this project, which is capable of -supplying nearly 200,000 h.p. when fully .utilised. The town of Wairoa already receives power from the initial workii at the lake, but it will i be some years before a large volume of current will be generated. In all hydroelectric development it is one thing to produce the power and another thing to sell it. It is always desirable to have a market ready for the electricity if poesible, but in the case of Waikare and similar stations the market will have to be created^

FUTURE PROGRAMME. The Government has a regular pro 7 gramme -of hydro-electric development mapped out for a good many years ahead i with an expenditure at the rate of about : £j;00ff,000 per ""annum. "During 'the period; ending" 1930, the following, as stated by the Minister. of Public Works, represents the schemes to be developed.: Coleridge'(36,ooo h.p.); Mangahao (24,----000 h.p.), Horahora (14,000 h.p.), Arapuni (60,000 h.p.), Waikaremoana (40,----000 h.p.); total, 174,000-h.p. .... ' Extensions and additional- schemes in view are:—Arapuni (40;000 h.p.), Otago (23,000 h.p.), Westland 10,000 h.p.), Marlborough, Nelson, and Buller (10,000 h.p.); additional total, 85,000 hip.- Gross total, 259,000 h.p. ■ . . . :

WAIKATO POWER. The third North Island scheme in the process of construction is that radiating vofti Arapuni on the Waikato River. Here there is an abundant source, of power fairly conveniently situated both with regard to Auckland City itself and the rural and urban districts of the Waikato which have grown probably more quickly than any other part of the Dominion in recent years. The engineering difficulties are considerable, and, the work is to be carried out by private contract. Tenders close early next year. The work already in hand is the construction of an access road between the railway and the dam aite. It is hoped to have the first three generating units amounting to 45,000 kw. by 1928. Provision is made in the plans for additional generating sets.. The total power available is estimated at 120,000' kw. ' In passing, it may be added that the Waikato River offer* perhaps the best facilities for development under favourable condition in the whole of the Dominion, the tota.l power available, in the fall of the . river from Taupo Lake, some 1200 feet above , the sea level to the lower levels about Cambridge being somewhere near half a million h.p.

£2,170,000 has already been spent up to the end of the last-financial year on hydro*-electrioal development,. and. the total expenditure up to 1930 for the quarter of. a million horse-power enumerated is estimated-at £11,407,000, or at

the rate of about £44. per horse-power j capital cost. ■••--. . In addition to electricity from, waterpower plants, as much as 45,750 kw. of steam-power electric plants is. -installed I in the Dominion, as • well as a.' certain number of gas and oil engine generators. On the'general question,- the Minister had. an. interest ing statement to make to Parliament last session. -"This development," he said, referring to the -progress anticipated by 1930, "will amply meet the ■ demands and give a margin ' for , attracting special : industries depending on a supply of cheap power. The question of large surplus poNver: to attract special export-industries by offering cheap electric power is an important one, and is receiving the fullest attention. The Dominion is at present too dependent for its export trade on agricultural produce, the prices of which are liable to serious fluctuations, and as the agricultural industries of the world are restored to. their pre-war output the prices of agricultural produce will, inevitably fall. It is therefore important that every effort be made to develop in this direction an export trade in manufactured goods or chemical or metallurgical products." The sale and distribution, of • electricty

in New Zealand differ from the systems in vogue in other countries -where electricity,is much used- 'Here, we have the ' Government generating and selling the current wholesale, and power hoards •locally elected with their own local centres, office*, and officials buying the current at wholesale rates from the Government and retailing and 'distributing it among the consumers in their districts. These boards act as it were as middlemen in • the system, encouraging the use of

. In the South Island, in addition to the Lake Coleridge scheme under the Government, there is the oldest large power station in New Zealand, the Waipori Falls station of the Dunedin City Council, now of 6000 kw. capacity, but to be raised by additions to 9000 kw.,

electricity locally and reticulating and supplying with current their respective districts. There are now thirty-one power districts constituted in the Dominion, and ten are actually engaged in carrying out the distribution and sale of electrical energy. The total area .covered is 46,818 square milles or 45 per cent, of the total area of the Dominion. The population concerned is 582,091, or 45.5 per cent, of the total population. Thus, about half the Dominion is covered by the operation of the "power boards. . SELLING ELECTRICITY. The total amount of the loans autho- | rised by the districts which have already j taken their polls is £5,636,500, and the i capital . outlay of the twenty boards | which have started constructions is I £2,224,090. -The general result is a loss over the whole business of the powe; boards, ■ bit tha result is regaided as satisfactory, in'view of the fact that many .boards are not yet getting current to. distribute-, while they have to spend-a good deal of money on reticulation, etc. ■ Such. losshs are regarded, as inherent in starting sny concern. Moreover, several of the boards are passing through a critical stage, owing to the high cost of materials and high interest rates ruling; at the time when they were ' established. Boards are generally profiting by such experiences, and better results' are expected for the future. Whether the Power Board will continue always to form a feature of the New Zealand hydro-electric system is a question for -experience to decide. The Minister ill bis statement said: "The management of tlie various electrical-power plants of the Department, including the sale oi power therefrom, together with the .supervision and control- of the various Electric Power Board districts and other electric-supply organisations, is L| of : considerable . proportions, and in c t very-few years-will have grown to verj considerable magnitude. With this ii '. view, it will be necessary to set up j ( special body to take over the adminsira . "tion of the electric-supply services, ant . so relieve the Minister of many of tin I details with which he is at present con I cerned. . . ." • r It is quite possible to look upon tin I Power Board as a phase of developmen { necessary, because the ■ Government a j the start lacked- any sort of organisa !. tion to carry out the distribution side o s the'hydro-electrical system, but not as ; c permanent feature of the system. Th t hydro-electric system, may "be conceivei „ in time as a sort of public service, lik 0 the Postal and Telegraph services, am [_ controlled and administered officially i a. similar way.. In the meantime, th ( f Power Board forma a very useful mediur 1 for. giving the people a local interest i f the supply of electricity. If the boar n did not exist, no doubt something lik [ s them would have had to be invented. v

The greater the power and the farther tihe transmission diibance the higher the voltage must be. The highest transmission voltage used at present is 220,000 in California, where over 100.000 horsepower is sent from the waterfalls in i3ie mountains about 300 miles to cities, farms, and factories on a single tlreecondiuctor line. At a million volts it would be possible to transmit 3,000,000 horse-power a thousand miles on a single power line.