NORMAL POWER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26542, 18 August 1947, Page 4

NORMAL POWER

STREET LIGHTS ON ALL NIGHT PLANS FOR THE FUTURE Street lighting in Dunedin is now in operation throughout each night. The lights remained switched on all night on Friday for the first time since the power cuts were introduced. This means that the City’s electrical supply is now completely restored to normal. “People have apparently learned now how to save electricity,’’ said the city electrical engineer, Mr G. T. Edgar, -in an interview with the Daily Times last night. “We have found that we have ample margin over and above what we are allowed and so have been able to effect a complete restoration.’’ Efforts are at present being made to build up a greater reserve of water to supply Dunedin next winter. Three new transformers, constituting a stepdown bank, and one spare transformer, arc in process of installation at the State Hydro-electric Department’s sub-station at Halfway Bush. The existing step-down bank has a capacity of 10,000 kilowatts and the new one 15,000 so that the supply will be more than doubled when the installation is complete. It is understood that every effort is being made to finish the work before the thaw late in September. The city electrical department has, for the last 12 years, used power from Waitaki throughout each day and a greatly increased supply will be available when the new transformers are operating. At some future date transformers generating 30,000 kilowatts will be installed by the department in order to fulfil a contract with the city electrical authorities. There is at present, however, no indication how soon these permanent transformers will be available.