CLOSING DOWN

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27357, 5 April 1950, Page 6

CLOSING DOWN

Waitaki Power Station MIDNIGHT TILL 6 A.M. “Dwindling Resources” PA CHRISTCHURCH, Apl. 4. The Waitaki power station is being closed down entirely between midnight and 6 a.m. to accumulate sufficient water behind the dam to meet the peak demands of the day. This drastic action to save dwindling water resources was announced this evening by Mr W. H. Gregory, district engineer of the State Hydro-Electric Department. Waipori, Coleridge, Monowai and the Arnold River generating units were thus carrying the load through the six hours after mi4night, he said. So grave had the power supply crisis become that all bodies with big generating plants of their own had been asked to contribute their output to the South Island network. Mr Gregory mentioned the Dunedin and Invercargill city units and the Kaitangata Coal Company’s plant as examples. The Christchurch Tramway Board would help, as soon as certain repairs had been completed. “ While the State Hydro-Electric Department is taking these emergency measures, consumers are still failing to keep their demands down to last year’s figures as requested," he said. “Today the reading was 10 per cent, above last year’s consumption. On Sunday it was 4 per cent, higher and on both Saturday and Friday it was 6 per cent. up. When the order was made for power supply authorities a week ago to cut power demands to last year’s limits, South Islanders were using 15 per cent, more than at the beginning of last winter. It was hoped that voluntary savings would bring consumption inside this limit, but the latest figures show that a more sincere effort is needed,” Mr Gregory said. The original cuts requested by the department were made in the light' of the water storage position at that time. Since then, there had been no improvement whatsoever. All storage levels were still going down.