POWER FROM WAIPORI.

Otago Witness, Issue 3871, 22 May 1928, Page 16

POWER FROM WAIPORI.

TENDERS FOR NEW PLANT. ACCEPTED SY CITY COUNCIL. At the meeting of the City Council on Wednesday evening the Electric Power rn Committee submitted the following recommendations: — The tenders received some weeks ago for a fourth 3000 k.w. unit for Waipori Poy er Station have now been considered. Prices were received from four turbine makers and eight generator makers. In the opinion of the council’s inspecting engineers in London, and also the city electrical engineer, two only of the turbines should be considered as suitable for the - apartment s requirements. These two are submitted respectively by Messrs Hoving ard Co., Ltd., and James Gordon and Co., Ltd., both of whom are British manufacturers. With the Gordon machine it would be necessary to order spares, which brings the price quoted up to £4412. In the case of the Boving turbine spares would not be required meantime, and the price is £4585, less value of spares £460. the net price' being therefore £4125. Yotr committee is of the opinion that the Boving Turbine should be ordered, more particularly in view of the fact that excellent services have been obtained with the present Boving wheels, and it is desirable if possible to have the *>ew plant of the same type as that now in use. '*■

In the case of the generators, the two lowest tenders are for machines made by the Brush Company and the British General Electric Company. Neither of these plants is recommended. The next best offers are from tbe following:—The National. 17eetrical and Engineering Company, Dunedin, as agents for the British Thomson, Houston Company, England, £4640; the English Electric Company, England, £4760; the American General Electric Company, £4770. The tender of the Amer’can General Electric Comoany is really the lowest, as spares would not be required meantime for its plant. Your committee is, however, of the opinion that the order should be placed in B’-itain, if at all possible, and accordingly recommends that the tender of the National Electrical and Engineering Company for the British Thomson Houston plant in the sum of £4640 be accepted, subject to a guarantee that delivery will he given from the works within six months’ time. It may be added that this firm is making the generator for the power station at the dam, and it is one of the highest-class British manufacturers.

The committee further begs to recommend as a matter of urgency thr t tenders be forthwith invited under the direction of the ctiy electrical engineer for the supply of the new pipe line rcqnireo for the above-mentioned generating plant, together with the requisite extension in steel to the surge chamber. It is essential that the whole of this installation be completed with the greatest possible expedition in view of the constantly increasing load.

The recommendations were considered in committee, and after a lengthy discussion were agreed tr, with the addition of an amendment providing that the question of supervision and the carrying out of the work be reported on by the committee at a later date.