N.Z. ELECTRICAL OUTPUT UP

Grey River Argus, 27 September 1949, Page 3

N.Z. ELECTRICAL OUTPUT UP

Past Year’s Development

P.A- WELLINGTON, Sept. 26 Since January this year, the net excess consumption of electricity in New Zealand was less than one per cent, over the allocation. But that was not as good as it sounded, said the General Manager of the State Hydro Electric Department, Mr A. E. Davenport, in an address to the confererice of Secretaries and Engineers of the New Zealand Supply authorities to-day. The position had been brought about by the efforts of some supply authorities, but it had been offset by others, whose efforts were not so good. He felt, however, that all of the authorities had endeavoured to carry out their obligations, and •he thanked the three Power Shortage Advisory Committees- for their work. He intended, he said, to meet the North Island Committee, and he asked the conference to prepare reasons why the consumption should be higher than the allocation, so that it would be possible to consider all of the facts and to flct accordingly. The South Island ,he said ; had had an unrestricted year, and in Nelson and Marlborough it was hoped to take such steps that there would be no instability until the completion of the Cobb scheme.

In the North Island, the generation was up five per cent, on last year’s figures. At Taupo, so far this year, the inflow of water was 6.9 pei cent., above the long-term average, but the rainfall at Taupo this year was 17 per cent, above the average. “We cannot use rainfall—we can only use the water in lakes and the water in rivers,” Mr Davenport commented. . “At Waikaremoana, for the first part of the year, the flow was deficient, but a storm in May did some good. Later, there was another fall in the flow, and the inflow was five per cent, below the average. “In the South Island the generation was eleven and a half per cent, above last year. At Waitaki, the flow was eleven per cent above the average. In Nelson and Marlborough the' generation was up 15.7 per cent, though the consumption had risen by 18.7 per cent. “On the Waikato, the department used 99.54 per cent of the water available this year. With all of the vicissitudes and the lake levels to be considered, it seemed to Mr Davenport that the Waikato operatois should be congratulated for an extremely good job. The department had wasted this year on the Waikato 1,300,000 units through flood, 2,500,000 units through trouble with a Karapiro generator, and 2,800,000 units through Taupo reaching its storage limit. The total wastage represented two inches on the Taupo.

POWER FROM THERMAL STEAM Mr Davenport, who is one of the committee of four investigating the use of geothermal steam, said that the Italian efforts up to 1930 were haphazard, the results being unsatisfactory and dangerous. Then common sense was applied, and the later developments were satisfactory. The practice followed in locating the geothermal steam reservoirs followed closely the practice used to locat< Oil, said Mr Davenport. The problem was to find the steam reservoirs which might be some distance laterally from where the steam came out of the ground. It was thought that a detailed investigation of the area between Taupo and Wairakei would present the answer to the thermal problem, and it was intended to concentrate on that area.