POWER DEVELOPMENT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19124, 16 September 1925, Page 13

POWER DEVELOPMENT.

THREE SCHEMES IN OPERATION. PROFITS AT TWO STATIONS. TRANSMISSION FOR ARAPUNI. WAIKAREMOANA DEVELOPMENT. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL EXTORTER.. ] WELLINGTON, Tuesday. During (he six years since the Hon. J. G. Coates became Minister for Public Works, great progress has been made with the development of. the national hydroelectricity programme. A total of 51,0 CX) horse-power has been developed and transmitted, at a cost of £2,195,656, or an averago of £45 per horse-power. The two schemes in full operation have both earned profits over all charges for the last financial year. The capital expenditure at Lake Coleridge is now £1,003,491. The results for the year were as follow: —Revenue: £92,163; expenditure: Working expenses, £23,270; interest, £47,780; depreciation, £15.679, £86,729; profit, £5434. This has been utilised in reducing the accumulated deficiency from £23,172 to £17,738. [ Works are in hand to increase the cap- ! acity of this plant to 27,000 kilowatts. r The supply is being extended beyond • Timaru to Oamaru, Large Profits from Horahora. , The capital investment, in the Horahora scheme is £522,973 and the year's results ; were as followßevenue, £65,184; ex--1 penditure, working expenses £14,106, in- j , terest £20,129, depreciation £9757, ! £43,992; profit, £21,192. As this plant | has now paid off all deficiencies and is | operating at a profit, this amount has been utilised in paying sinking fund contributions, £4138, and the balance has been carried forward into reserve. The additional units installed during the year came into operation since the end of the financial year, and will enable a considerably greater load to be carried. The small development at Waikaremoana has been leased to the Wairoa Power Board until it is required for the major development. The capital outlay is £77,314, capital changes amount to £5735, and the revenue to £2440, giving a loss of £3295 for the year. The- Mangahao station came into operation partially toward the end of tho year, and the limited revenue has been credited to capital, and the scheme considered as an operating development as from the boginning of this financial year.. The operating capital at that djite was £1,493,456 ; which amount will be increased as additional sections of transmission line and sub-stations come into operation. The peak load on the plant by the end of June had reached 9080 kilowatts. Construction Work. Following are tho votes proposed compared with last year's expenditures, from; the electricity supply account: — > Vote. Expended. 1925-2 G. 1924-25. £ £ Arapuni scheme r. 403,000 178,047 Mangahao scheme— New works and materials .. .. 200.000 491,143 Working expenses, maintenance, etc. . _ 35,000 Horahora scheme extension— New works and materials 60,000 37.765 Working expenses, maintenance, eto. . 15,000 12,846 Lake Coleridge scheme— New works and materials .'' .. .. 315,000 104,228 Working expenses, maintenance, etc. . 25,000 24,517 Waikaremoana scheme . 26,000 *1,389 Investigation o£ other schemes — ; North Island . .. 500 6 South Island .. .. 1,000 157 General expenses .. 500 12 £1,071,000 Credits-in-aid .. 26.000 Totals . .. .. £1,045,000 £847,478 'Credit. In a review of the works in hand, the statement says that.as it is most important that as much load as possible shall be available for the Arapuni station as soon as it is completed, a considerable amount of survey and construction work has been done on transmission lines. The construction of one main 110,000-volt line has been completed from Hamilton to Auckland, and this will be operated meanwhile from Horahora to give a supply of 2000 k.v.a. to the Auckland Power Board. The construction is in hand of a 50,000volt lino from Arapuni to Rotorua. When completed this will be operated from Horahora until Arapuni is available. An extension of the Te Awamutu 50,000-volt line is under construction to Hangatiki, to give supply to the Waitomo Power Board. Surveys are in hand for a 50,000-volt line connecting Waikino and Bombay, across the Hauraki Plains, and also for the additional main 110,000-volt lines between Arapuni and Auckland. A start has been made with the erection of a 50-000-volt. lino between Waikino and Katikati, to connect the Horahora system with the Tauranga plant at McLaren's Falls. >' Future Developments. The "programme of future construction includes various works at all the stations: a second dam is to be constructed at Mangahao to give storage necessary to run the station at full capacity. Plans and specifications for the first staee, 20.000 kilowatts, of the main development at Waikaremoana will be completed, and if satisfactory contract* for the sale of power are entered into a commencement will be made with the construction. ' The works now under construction and about to be started at an early date will reauire a capital expenditure of about £1,000.000 per annum for the next few years, but are such that we may reasonably expect to pay interest and operating costs within a short Deriod after completion. Meanwhile the investigation of additional sources of power, particularly in the So,uth Island, will be continued, so that as soon as there is any indication that the present stations are likely to become fully loaded, or that any considerable power load is likely to develop in new districts, a scheme of development will bo ready for construction. Possibilities o 1 the Sounds. In addition to carrying on investigation work on power schemes to meet the ordinary industrial and domestic development, it is proposed to put in hand mora detailed surveys of some of the large power sources that exist on the western sounds of Otago and Southland. It is thought that if the potential value of thesw sources of power is made known in concise, and accurate form, jt may be the means of attracting special, industries to the locality to take advantage of the very cheap power that can undoubtedly be developed in these localities. Thirty-nine power boards have been formed, covering an area of 62,520 square ! miles, or 61 per cent, of the Dominion The total population in the area controlled by these boards is 776,510, or 59 per cent of the population of the Dominion; tha unimproved value of the power board areas amounts to £231,485,074, or 70.3 per cent, of the total unimproved capital value of the Dominion. Since 1921 the number of miles of electric lines has increased from 1909 to bOll, or an increase of 215 per icent. in four years. With such rapid growth we must be very careful to see that the construction and operation are uniformly safe and economical, and that the general 1 consumer is protected in all ways. This section of the work is fast out-growing the capacity of the present organisation in the department, and it is hoped during the year to reorganise it. As this section affects the interests of other State departments, of the power supply authori- i ties, the insurance companies, and the < electrical traders, the department ha.* i under consideration the setting-np of an ' advisory board containing representatives i of these bodies to act with the depart- < ment in framing regulations and taking s other steps to see that work is carriad 1 out in the most satisfactory my. I