ROXBURGH POWER

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27196, 27 September 1949, Page 4

ROXBURGH POWER

Tenders For Plant To Be Called WORKING AT HIGH SPEED Special Correspondent WELLINGTON, Sept, 26. “Tenders for the. electrical and mechanical plant for Roxburgh are now to be called —they are expected to go out this week,” the general manager of the State Hydro-electric Department, Mr A. E. Davenport, stated when addressing a joint meeting of power supply authority engineers and secretaries here to-day. “ All the hopes of the South Island hinge on Roxburgh,” Mr Davenport said. “ Construction has started on the civil engineering work. It must lie admitted wc started at high speed and we hope and intend that the speed will be kept up. We know the power is needed at the earliest possible time. We have no other thought in our minds when we think of the South Island except how to get power to the people as soon as possible.”

Stating that Waipori was scheduled to come into operation in 1953, Mr Davenport said he wished Dunedin good fortune with its projects. Plans for Waitaki had not yet been put to the Government. It was proposed to put in two additional 15,000 kilowatt units. These ■ could add 100,000,000 extra units in the average year to the station output under mean flow conditions.

Mr Davenport warned that the rock on the Otago side of the present power house had not yet been tested for soundness and it could not be said definitely that the job could be done. This test would be put in hand immediately. Mr Davenport said progress at Pukaki had been such that it should be possible to use the lake for storage for npxt. year’s generation. Good progress had also been make at Tekapo and the power house building was now to crane level. The final parts of the machinery would not leave Britain till next year but there should be no delay in the civil engineering work which would enable it to be brought into operation at the end of 1950.

Referring to the South Island power supply this year, Mr Davenport said it had not been necessary to ration. Generation had been ll| per cent, above last year, water supply in the Waitaki 11 per cent, above the longterm average and in the Harper 10 per cent, above. To date, 70 per cent, of the available' water in the Waitaki River had been used. From now on the percentage of utilisation should decrease as with the spring run off water would soon be wasted. It appeared that 70 per cent, usage was just about the limit. In this connection the importance of lake storage could be seen.