ELECTRIC LIGHT IN THE WAIMEAS

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LVI, 2 August 1922, Page 4

ELECTRIC LIGHT IN THE WAIMEAS

NEW DEVELOPMENTS AT 131UGHTW ATER

ADDITIONAL WATER-POWER PLANT

It is safe to assume that very few people know the very interesting and important developments that arc taking place at Brightwater in connection with tlie Waimea electric light scheme. For some time past the plant has hern inadequate even for the consumers already connected up, and further lighting has been out of the question. The demand is far in excess of the supply, ami the prospects are that, given the facilities, there ,• ill he an ever-increasing demand for-' the “juice ” For these and ovher reasons the company decided upon extensive additions to the plant, and important work is now well in ham! to j- lv ® ! . U1 extra 100 horse-power. Mr R. ilus is hack in the company, and is superintending the new onsmieiional work.’ " - It is interesting to recall how .tins scheme, which wo believe is in many ways, came into being. *»hilo on a visit to England some tv* five or fifteen years ago, Mr Ellis was greatly struck with the possibilities before hydro-eioctric power, lie pur-, chased a household plant, and on his return installed it at his home, winch was then at Koliatu. Ho had e'ectne light, power, radiators, etc., which after the initial expense of installation cost him practically nothing to run. This set him thinking, and he became firmly convinced that there were definite possibilities /T laun'-'linig some public scheme provided the necessary water power could he secured, i Trnpneil’s flour mill at Brightwater being for sale, he felt no better uppor- ) tunity could -ho. secured to put Ins ideas into practical cfleet. He did I not own this property long before Xus plans began to take definite shape. This was nearly ten years ago. His purpose was to light Brigntwater ana Richmond. Everyone waS «caa against him at that time. ivlost people wanted the light, but bmieveu it could not be produced in-that way. It was a time of little encouragement. One of the first things to be done was to secure a license from the tiitn Govorenment. This proved a difficult matter, and for fix months Unrigs v.’ore a standstill- Jilt* then Vliinster of Public Works (Hon. R. McKenzie) said, “You can’t do it, and, what’s more, we- would not allow it it ton could.” ‘continuing his narrative, IMr Ellis said: “About sis ■•months I later, I was surprised to see Mr Parry i (then chief hydro-electrical engineer.) walk in ” He said he had so much i correspondence waiting to be dealt i with on this subject that he had de- ; tided that the best thing, for him to do would be to come over and deal with the matter on the spot. He said he would render all the assistance m his power, and so would the new Government. Mr Parry then told j him the requirements, and advised Mr Ellis what machinery to sej cure. . - By degrees the scheme was put into j operation, turd at the end of four j months running it became obvious that I the turbine was not big enough. The ' mill turbine was used, but the demand soon became too great, and a 50 h.p. I engine was installed. Compared with ! water power, this was most expensive, j and'it was decided to put in another turbine. This proved all right, but at took such a heap of water that the i races were not big enough, j Later. Mr Ellis sold out to a comjpany, but on the decision to provide ' adequate power by tiro use of water he decided to come back again and to j superintend the new' constructional I work. i The site for the, new station is a ’ few miles distant from the present pewter house. An area of ten acres has been secured about half a mile lower -down the river from the rail- ■ way bridge, and an old race to an old I mill will be used. There will, however, 1 be extensive additions and alterations, j For instance, the water will be i brought into a ten-acre enclosure, and i the embankment work is at present 5 nearing completion. From her© the wtiter is led into the turbine with _a fall of 14ft calculated to- gw© R>l) horse power' A substantial concrete buildirm has already been erected with i walls some 2ft 6in thick. The foundation S have been sunk (ft below the 1 level of the river. There are also prospects of the storage area'being considerably increased. Machinery m ion order, and should arrive,in Nelson I in the. course of the next few months. l ln the meantime the company has a turbine at the works that can b© fitted i temporarily if Government permission I is.secured.

FUTURE POSSIBILITIES " Mr Ellis believes this will be merely the first of a series of such power stations along the river. < They are, he says, not very expensive to construct, and their 'value in any scheme is that it becomes revenue producing in a‘very short while, and with very little expenditure. The company is : now also about to change from a one-phase system to a three-phase. This will enable working with the city system if desired. It is quite likely that some working arrangement will be found advantageous to both’parties. The success already achieved by the company is surprising, and the improvements now to be made should remove the troubles that luwo arisen from overloading the present plant.