RATIONING OF POWER LIKELY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26473, 29 May 1947, Page 6

RATIONING OF POWER LIKELY

Although Otago has. so far suffered ltitle inconvenience through the rationing of power, the continued dry period is causing considerable concern both to those connected with the supply of power and to consumers who are largely dependent on electricitv for their business activities'. While Otago has vast potential resources of hydro-electric power, the supply position this winter and next is likely to be far from satisfactory.

In fact, it will not be until the proposed Coal Creek scheme comes into production that the power position will be entirely satisfactory in the south It is unlikely that the Coal Creek station could be generating in less than five or six years’ time, with the result that in the intervening period the main load of the South Island will fall on Waitaki.

Waitaki River Very Low

Strenuous efforts are being made to complete the work at Lake Pukaki to make it a storage lake for keeping the Waitaki dam full during the winter and so enable its quota of generators to be used throughout the year. It is unlikely, however, that this work will be completed in time to provide the necessary water for next winter’s increased needs. Work on the Tekapo scheme has been slow, and many difficulties have been encountered. It is doubtful if power from Tekapo will be flowing into the transmission lines before the winter of 1948. At present the Waitaki River is running very low, and the level of the lake behind the dam is not heartening. Soon heavy frosts will stop the flow of many creeks and streams that eventually help to augment the dam waters, and unless heavy rain falls in the very near future the output from the Waitaki station is not likely to meet the demands that will be made upon it. Rain is also badly needed at Lake Mahinerangt for the Waipori stations, and the Central Otago Power Board is forced to ration because of the reduced volume of water passing through its plant.

It is almost certain that the major State scheme for the South Island will be at Coal Creek, but the Government evidently has no intention of depending solely on this station for its hydro power. Investigations are now being carried out at Blackjack's Point, on the Waitaki River, for it is there that the next major scheme will probably be undertaken as soon as Coal Creek is completed. At least three other sites are available on the Molyneux and Kawarau Rivers so that ultimately Otago should have an abundance of power.

In view of the possible shortage of power before the Coal Creek scheme comes into production, some industrial firms are considering the acquisition of generating plant from overseas. Rather than risk loss of production, many North Island firms have already ordered large Diesel or petrol generating ( plant to ensure a continuous supply of power. Several organisations, such as chain stores, have also bought small stand-by plant to see them through any period of crisis. In fact, one Dunedin firm stated yesterday that it was impossible to buy any small generating machines in the south today, as they had all been sent to North Island firms. Need for Heavy Rain It is not expected that there will be a shortage of power in the South Island as was experienced in the north earlier in the year, but it seems extremely probable that strict rationing will be necessary soon if heavy rain in the back country is not experienced. In fact, it has caused some surprise in Dunedin that the Dominion electricity controller has not already introduced rationing to safeguard the position later in the winter. It Jias even been suggested that this delay has been because of the Avon byelection. The annual increase in the load is approximately 10 per cent,, so that it would appear that unless next autumn and the early winter are very wet, and unless the Pukaki storage scheme is ready, the south will be short of power and consumers will have to be perpared for a shortage—a shortage that might even be intensified by a breakdown of old plant, such as at the Coleridge station, through the severe strain of recent years.