POWER FROM ARAPUNI.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18763, 17 July 1924, Page 8

POWER FROM ARAPUNI.

MEANS OF TRANSMISSION. DEPARTMENT'S ACTIVITY. [by TELEGRAPH.-—SPECIAL REPORTER.} WELLINGTON. Wednesday. The transmission line which will bring hydro-electric power from Arapuni to Auckland is already in course of erection and will be completed to Penrose by January of next year," said the Minister for Public Works, Hon. J. G. Coates. to-day. "That is the same line as will bring ;n the Horahora power. It will come at 110,000 volts, just as will the Arapuni curent later on and a contract has been let for the transformer station at. Penrose. The current will be broken down there ff>r delivery to and distribution by the Auckland Power Board. . " The Arapuni power will be handled in exactly the same way. The Government s lins is being pushed in the Arapuni as well as the Auckland direction. Power will be supplied for the works there. The department will be quite ready to deliver Arapuni power to Auckland when the contractors deliver it to nse on the river bank. We "are not going to spend £1,175,652 on building a dam, etc., to generate power and then leave out the connection that will enable us to dispose of it. We will not miss our market for a day if we can help it.

The transmission line being erected fiom Horahora is only a single line, but it takes the required voltage; these additional details must wait until we hare finally signed up for the main, contract. Until that isi done these questions are t discounted in that the answeru can only be provisional. The transmission line work is being carried out by a series of small co-operative contracts and the work is to be completed by nest January."