PETONE GAS WORKS

Evening Post, Volume CXII, Issue 33, 9 February 1927, Page 5

PETONE GAS WORKS

NEW PLANT DISCUSSED

Among the institutions which are benefiting from the phenomenal progress in the Hutt Valley is the Petone Gas Works, now managed by a board composed ,of Petone and Lower Hutt representatives. Under the new management the business has, steadily increased in spite of the competition of the Electric Power Board.

The board is at present engaged in reticulating the newly-opened areas in Lower Hutt, and when the demand from these is added to the increasing ,demand from the older settled portions the board anticipates .that a very large increase in plant will be required. The production returns already show that the output of gas for the current year ■will exceed 81 million cubic feet. ; The chairman (Mr. W. G. Lodder) mentioned last evening that this would' mean an immediate expenditure of £3000 to increase the present retort capacity, and the question was, -would it be wise for the board-to incur.this expenditure in view of the fact that in four or five years the board • would have to consider the erection of new and up-to-date plant of a different type. It had been demonstrated that with a make of 100 million cubic feet per year it would pay to install a vertical retort system.' With this in view members of the board had interviewed a representative of the Glover' West system, and also Mr.. Kennedy, of the Wellington Gas Company,- which had one of these plants in use. Mr. Kennedy had given much valuable information. It had been demonstrated that the new plant would save enough, oven on a conservative estimate, to pay not only interest on . the outlay, but a profit, and make' it worth while to. : .dispose of the oid plant. At the present time plants of this kind were showing a make, per ton of coal, of 20,240 cubic feet, but the company guaranteed a make on its improved plant of 21,000 cubic feet. The board's estimate was based on a make of only 19,000 cubic feet. An eight-retort plant of this kind would cost about £30,000, and would be sufficient to make 200 million cubic feet per arnum.

The action of the chairman in requesting the firm to give the board, before 31st March, an estimate of the cost of such a plant, was approved by the board.

In the course of the discussion it was mentioned that it would be unwise to extend the present plant if the whole ■would be abandoned in a: year or two.