ELECTRICITY IN IRELAND

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 31, 5 August 1925, Page 6

ELECTRICITY IN IRELAND

HARNESSING THE SHANNON FREE STATE GOVERNMENT'S SCHEME. The River Shannon, the, largest river in Ireland, rises in County Leitrim and flows through 170 miles past Limerick to the sea. In its journey south it widens out into many lakes, the lowest and last of these being Lough Derg, Under the Free State Government's 1 bold scheme for supplying the whole of Ireland with electric lighting, heating, and power, it is proposed to use Lough Derg as the storage reservoir for supplying the immense water-power required for the hydro-electric installation, state* an engineering correspondent of the "Manchester Guardian." The lough is about 25 miles in length, varying considerably in width. About .five, miles below it it is intended to dam the river so as to raise the water level to the height of the lough itself. This involves the construction of embankments along the river between the dam and the lough, to retain tho water at its new level, and to protect the low-lying lands. Part of the embankments will be from 25 feet to 30 feet in height. Smaller embankments will also be made at certain spots around the lough. In all there will probably be nearly 100 miles of embankment From the dam to the power-house near Limerick, a distance of about six miles, a huge canal will be cut to act as the head-race to the power-house, serving at the same time for navigation purposes. Enormous pipes, 20 feet in diameter, will convey the water from the canal to the turbines with a direct fall of 100 feet, the entire fall between Lough Derg and the power-house being thus utilised. The excavation for the canal will be 30 feet in depth, running into approximately seven million cubic yards. Machinery to develop 90,000 h.p. will be installed in the power-house, capable of an output of 60,000 kilowatts, and producing over 150,000,000 Ic.w.'li. per annum, which is estimated to be sufficient for the country's present needs. The transmission of the current will be by overhead lines, forming a network over the entire Free State territory. The current will be conveyed at 100,000 volts by the main cables to DubrrrS, Cork; there will be secondary 35,000-volt cables to smaller towns, and 100,000-volt cables to villages and farms all over the Free State. There are ten locks in the existing canal between Limerick and Lough Derg. These will be done away with and replaced by .a lift at the Powerhouse. Vessels of 150 tons will be raised 100 feet from the low-water level of Hie tail race to the canal above, whence tue journey will be made without interruption to Lough Derg and up the river. There will be an elaborate system of drainage of the low-lying lands affecting some 5000 acres of land, and later 12,000 rfcres or more. l'ur future development* of the scheme the upper lakes on the Shannon can be utilised as the demand for power increases. The cost of the initial scheme wiHbe something over £5,LYTTELTON CARGO DISPUTE ■* (DT TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) CHRISTCHURCH, This Day.' The deadlock 'continues at Lyttelton over the unloading of phosphates and guano from the Pcarlmoor and Peninorruh. Settlers In Ouinrio urn to he insisted in buying dairy uuillo. Tin OnUri.m Government wiii advance tlirrs-cniiirter.s uf (Jin pnrclia.se iiricn at 5 prr crul.; the sclllcrs. will repay this by i.iiMa 1""—'11