NAPIER POWER STATION.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume IV, Issue 428, 6 August 1915, Page 2

NAPIER POWER STATION.

INCREASING DEMAND FDR ELECTRICITY. MURE ENGINES NEEDED. An interesting report on the Napier power station and the necessity lor an enlargement of the plant trill be submitted by the borough engineer (Mr. AA'arren) at to-night's cUMneii meeting. In the course ol' his remarks the engineer says:-— ELECTRIC I’OAAER AND LIGHT. Tliere have lieen complaints recently on account ol the bad voltage I rem the distribute mains from Side street leeder box. Although tlie balance is very near correct, as shown by’ t lie pow er house meters, and vv itli onfv!, I() amporos on each side, yet tliere As an miaceomitatile drop and ii decided (flickering produced .somewhere along;* the lines. The Inuit bits not yet been locatol. but the iippoarances indicate tbiir. the neutral is io> small or that the line is in ii bad condition due to the shoi't eii'eiiits that used to occur during tile tirsl year's running. I’osssiHlv some of the strands have been biirnt through thereby increasing the voltage drop. A systematic test is. beint’*' made sit idl points ami if the stiiniise proves correct it may be uecossarv tn renew the cable in various places. Sc'cuteen few services were iii.sia.lled since last report. Some street, lighting has also been curried out. .Vi IHE I’(»AA'ER HOUSE.

Air. liasiings reports that Nos. 1. 2 and 3 engines arc in good working order.- but are very heavily overloaded. Tins over-loading is not fair to the engines, as they are liable to il serious breakdown. They have’ ou several occasions had to carry au overload of nearly 50 percent. 11 follows that, the generators have also to carry a proportionate overload. The accumulators are at present in good order, tint owing to the amount of work they are doing they shea a considerable deposit. The motors driving the circulating pumps are on the small side, and it would be advisable to procure more powerin' motors as soon as possible. I ‘onsidering the extraordinary conditions under vvbich the engines and generators are working, the plant is running exceedingly well, lor during the heavy load hours from I p.m. to JO p.m. all three engines and the battery are necessary efficiently .to take the load. During. June. 1915. 79.P1S units were generated and during .July SI .505 units making a total of 161, IS3 units, while tor a similar period last year 121.755 units were generated or an increase of 33 per cent for the two months collectively. Our day load is likely to increase rapidly if certain factories instal motors ms contemplated. The notice of the to'i,i-' cil is urgently called to the desirability of placing the orders tor the new engines and generators at the very earliest possible date. The following figures show the output for the monthp of June and July, 101-5.-

Trad sou .5 nun. 20,743 , July. 21,979 . . .. 37,378 36,703 Street Lighting 3,072 4,717 II ,050 11.512 Station power ami Inditing . . . . 7.077 6.62 1 -—- TotaL ... 79.91S 81,565