SOUTH ISLAND POWER

Grey River Argus, 6 February 1941, Page 9

SOUTH ISLAND POWER

WINTER SUPPLY SECURE Plant Delayed by War HAMPERS FRESH DEVELOPMENT [Per Press Association] CHRISTCHURCH, February 5. There is not likely to be a serious shortage of power in the South Island, according to official calculations unless an unusually dry winter is experienced. The use of new generating units at Waitaki has enabled the storage of water at the other supply points—Lake Coleridge, Mohowai and Waipori—sufficient to meet expected needs. This was explained in an interview by the Chief Electrical Engineer to the Public Works Department, Mr F T. M. Kissel. Mr Kissel indicated, on the other hand, that the Department .was seriously perturbed about delays in the delivery of plant for power supply extensions caused by the war conditions. These delays might affect the supply position in 1942, but for the coming winter, only unusually dry conditions would cause the authorities any great concern, he said. To emphasise the difficulties being met in the supply of plant for new stations and for additions to existing stations, Mr Kissel said that generators that were being built for New Zealand in Great Britain had actually been damaged by enemy action while on the shop floors, while other plant, ordered some time ago from Sweden was still held up in that country, and there seemed little prospect of having the machinery released. “I cannot see that there is much prospect of. any serious shortage in the South Island,” Mr Kissel said. “That applies to the coming winter, when the water supply is normally short in the Canterbury and other generating areas. For future years, there is not much prospect of a shortage unless through delayed deliveries of plant. Altogether, we have taken full advantage of the additional units at Waitaki, and they will be run all the summer as long as the water lasts. Their use to full capacity has allowed us to store water in Lake Coleridge, Lake Monowai and Waipori, where considerable additional water has been penned up for use during the winter. In fact, they are almost full. We will be able to run on that storage for the winter, and I can say that there is not much fear of a shortage this winter in the South Island. If we had an exceedingly adverse season, we might have trouble, but the season would have to be really exceptional. “The position in the North Island is- much worse than in the South,” he said.

In planning for future supply in the South Island, a great deal of importance, he added, had been attached to a new scheme for generating power at Highbank, at the outlet of the Rangitata Diversion Race intp the Rakaia River, but delay in securing the plant for that power station, and in the securing of steel necessary in the construction of the race uad held up the Highbank project. It had originally been intended to have Highbank generating power in August of this year, but now it would not be operating until much later. Highbank, Mr Kissel said, was expected to ease the pressure on the supply for the winter of 1942. It would, as far as could be seen, do that, but there was no certainty in that expectation now, because of many' 'delays in the arrival of vital plant.