POSITION SERIOUS

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4342, 11 October 1950, Page 5

POSITION SERIOUS

ELECTRICAL SUPPLY

RECENT CONFERENCE

MR MAYN GIVES HIS REPORT

“Mr Davenport, in very serious vein,, (requested that all supply authorities take steps to do all that is in their power to reduce the consumption. He stated that he was calling the Power Shortage (Committee together to consider what should be done and the implication of this committee would ibe the basis of the steps which are to 'be taken. The position this summer and autumn will be serious,” said Mr J. F. Mayn, chairman of ’the Thames Valley Eleotnie-iPower Board, when reporting to the October meeting of the board upon the proceedings at the annual conference of Electric -Power Boards and S upply Authorities held last 'month in Christchurch.

Mr Mayn stated that the whole of the conference business would (betcome available to members when the proceedings were published in detail, but there were salient features -of the meetings which were of vittal immediate interest and of which he considered the board should have early knowledge.

“Foremost of these is the matter of the supply available for the ensuing summer, autumn and winter. Mr Davenport of the State Hydro Department, made it very clear that he was worried about the situation. He pointed out that the water available in the North Island this year for power generation was 111 per cent below the average season. Power supply authorities had -used 56 million units in excess of the reduced allocation since April of this year; shortage of fuel for steam stations had. left the effect of these stations some 18 to 19 million units short of the target so that the two combined circumstances resulted'in the lake at Taupo being 2 feet lower in storage than what was%necessary to safeguard the remainder of the year’s supply. Of 32 supply authorities in the North Island, he stated that only two were below the allocation, one equal, eight were two to five per cent above 17 from six to- 10 per cent above, three from 12 to 14 per cent above and one 20 per cent above the allocation. This board, as you know, is in the “main body” of 17, between 6 to 10 per cent above. End of Resources in Sight “Next in importance was the announcement by the chief electrical engineer,. Mr. Latta, that the end of the hydiro-electric resources in the North Island were in sight at approximately one and a half million k.w. The need for the full development of these would eventuate in approximately 12 years. Geo-thermal steam data is not yet available to determine what value it will have in the general supply, so that two alternatives remain for future requirements, namely, (1) steam either by coal or oil and, (2) South Island hydro by means of Cook strait. That the latter is under .serious consideration lean be taken from, the fact that tentative figures were given regarding the project. The cost of bringing power from the South Island to the North Island was estimated at £45 million plus £lO million for the straits crossing, and it would pay if the quantity was not less than 500,000 k.w. A tunnel is mentioned as being a possibility at a cost of between £3 to £4 thousand pounds per mile (26 miles). The tunnel has technical advantages concerning whether supply would be given in AC or DC, which requires expensive rectifiers and other equipment.

“Also of great importance is the statement of Mr Davenport to the effect that Maraetai was showing sufficient advancement in construction for him to predict that a generator would be running in April, 1953, if the same rate of progress was maintained.”