POWER NETWORK

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 154, 15 June 1932, Page 8

POWER NETWORK

NORTH ISLAND SYSTEM LINKING UP OF PLANTS. AN IMPORTANT UNDERTAKING. (By Telegraph—Special to “Tribune.”) Wellington, June 14. An Important phase in the linking of the North Island hydroelectric power supply system by a great chain of transmission lines joining Arapum tn the north, Mangahao in the south and Waikaremoana in .he east has been entered upon by the Public Works Department. A contract was let some time ago for the material for steel towers to carry the transmission lines across part of the gap between Stratford and Arapum, and when this has been bridged the three powerful generating plants whose linking was visualised 15 years ago will form part of one huge system. It is hoped to have the link completed by the winter of 1934 for the reason that by that time the plants at Mangahao and Waikaremoana will probably have reached their capacity. There will be a certain amount of spare plant available at Arapuni by then and it will be possible to transfer power from there to the south over the transmission lines which will join ths three stations. THE DEPARTMENT’S AIM. There is already an inter-communica-tion system between Mangahao and Waikaremoana, these two stations sup plying power conjointly over the southern and eastern portion of the island. It,is now the aim of the department’s electrical engineers to link them with Arapuni. Much work has been done in recent years as fa. as the erection of transmission lines is concerned, and the main power supply from the southern end stretches into Taranaki as far as Stratford, where it is to branch off to meet the Arapuni supply. from Arapuni in the north the transmission lines will travel through Tn Kuiti, Ohura and Whangamomona, finally joining the southern supplv stem at the present sub-station at. Stratford. The transmission lines hav.y already been pushed about 20 miles south from the Arapuni end and poles have been erected for about 40 miles. The steel towers which were ordered recently will be used to carry the high voltage lines across the rough countrv between Ohura and Whangamomona. CONTINUOUS POWER SUPPLY. The plan also is to skirt the eastern districts between Waikaremoana and Arapuni, through the Kotorua area, but this work will come later, efforts being concentrated at present on the western link, which will be of such value to the North Island as a whole on account of the greater security it will give as far as a continuous power supply system is concerned. The inter-connection system will have a general value for the whole island, in that if one plant has to ba closed down for repairs or maintenance purposes the others will be able to continue the supply of power in either direction

Just how valuable the power supply link will be to the North Island is now illustrated in an official estimate of the amount that could have been saved to the Government had it been able to supply power to the north while Arapuni was closed for repairs. Had Mangahao and Waikaremoana been able to transmit power to the district served by Arapuni while that station was closed the saving would have been £40,000 in one year, this amount representing the cost spent in purchasing power to make up the Arapuni d« ficiency.