LAKE WAIKAREMOANA.

Manawatu Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 2593, 12 March 1923, Page 4

LAKE WAIKAREMOANA.

IDEAL SOURCE OF POWER. FUTURE ■ CAPACITY MAY REACH 200,000 TUP. MR. \\ . A. WATERS INTERVIEWED Mr. W. A. Waters, the Manawatn. Oroua Power Board’s engineer, who was present at the official opening of the Waikaremoana hydro.electric scheme on Saturday, gave some inter, esting information relative to the works, their site and the origin of the idea, to a “ Times ” reporter. “ Visi. tors,” said Mr. Waters, ” were pre sent from all parts of New Zealand to see the India! development plant start, ed up. Numerous Maoris were among the crowd, and were just us keen as the pakehas. They delighted the visitors with hakas and poi dances. After the speeches, the guests sat down to a dinner, cooked by the Maoris, who also assisted in waiting on tiro guests, while the ‘ Waipio ’ was also turned on, and everybody thoroughly enjoyed themselves.” SITUATION OF THE LAKE. “ Lake Waikaremoana, as a source of hydro.electric power, has long been known as a great national asset, and one of the first gentlemen to report on its possibilities was Mr. G. A. Preece, of Palmerston North, who was an interested visitor to the opening ceremony. Mr. Proece investigated the site about 40 years ago. Lake Waikaremoana is situated some 30 miles inland from Wairoa, and at an eleva. tion of over kOOOtt. above sea level. The area of the lake is some 20,000 acres, the water being particularly clear, and in parts very deep. One in. teresting feature is the fact that in some parts of the lake, there is an underground outlet, which makes its appearance in the side of, the hill where there is a gushing torrent of water tearing down the rocky course. The voiume of water leaping over tha rocks at a terrific pace immediately in. spires one with the enormous possibilities of hydro.a-ectric power. The whole site has been a wonderful gift .from nature, being practically (prepared ready for the engineers to har. ness the power. Owing to the great fall available, it is proposed to build three power stations, utilising the po. wer in stages.” PRESENT DEVELOPMENTS. “ The present development consists of two pelton wheels, each of 500 horse power, and the fad utilised in this scheme is 670 ft., giving 2851 b. pressure per square inch at the nozzles. Each pelton wheel is directly coupled to two generators, each of 575 k.w. capacity. One of the generators is a direct current machine and the other an alternator. At present, the al. ternating current machines arc in use, supplying power to thb Wairoa Power Board, while later on the direct current generators will be used as “ ex. citers ” for the big station, which is to be built, 40,000 horse power. “ The Wairoa Power Board has been allocated 750h.p. of the present power —the baiance, 250h.p.. will be used in the construction of the big station, which will be adjacent to the present temporary one.” POSSIBILITIES OF SCHEME. “ Waikaremoana, as a source ot power, is ideal, as it permits of the extension of the plants as the load grows. If the underground outlet can be plug, ged, it is estimated that the total capa city of the scheme will reach over 200.000h.p. “ The programme of the Govern, ment is to proceed with the first big station very shortly and it is expected that the transmission lines from Waikaremoana will be connected to those of Mangahao at Bunnythorpc, inside of five years. “ The Wairoa Power Board, which has taken over the running of the pre. sent IOOOh.p. plant, took a poll of the ratepayers in 1921 for a loan of £IOO,OOO. and'the ratepayers ■were emphatic in their decision, with 504 votes in favour and only 31 against. The town of Wairoa, which has had elec, trie light for some years, lias now closed down its suction gas station and buys its power from the Board, while he modern freezing works, erected in 1915’, have done likewise.”