WAIKAREMOANA POWER

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LV, Issue 16865, 31 January 1929, Page 7

WAIKAREMOANA POWER

SUPPLY FOR HAWKE’S BAY GENERATOR IN COMMISSION To-day white energy generated at Waikaremoana is being fed through the reticulated area, of the Hawke s Bay dis trict and consumers will now be able to enjoy a continuity of supply with t exception of an occasional minor shutdown for adjustments (announced the Hastings Tribune of Tuesday). On Saturday and Sunday last a successful trial of the generating plant was carried out in the presence of Mr. Oavev, inspecting engineer, and Mr. A. IHnnie, resident engineer. Owing to slight alterations to a certain connection it was found that a load could not be switched on to the transmission lines. Under trial the great generator, which is capable, Y.-hen fully loaded, oi generating as much power as the whole of the plant at Mangahao, gave every satisfaction, and as a result last night it was put into commission, and is now carrying a substantial load. The waters of the Waikaietahcke River, which is the outlet lor Waikare moana, are now passing through pipe line and turbine at the rate of about IOO.OCO gallons a minute. Fiom a tor tuious mountain torrent the water I tbeen diverted to feed the newly-formed lake at Kaitawa, which forms the head waters of the scheme.

At present another similar turbine and generator are being installed at the power house at Tuai, and which is expected to be in commission in abo’ three* months’ time, when the official opening ceremony for the scheme has been arranged to take place. PROVISION FOR THIRD GENERATOR. Provision lias been made by the Public Works Department for tiie installation or a third generator, which completes the first section of the scheme which is estimated will generate up to 60.0C0 k.v.a. when fully loaded. The confidence the department has in this great national scheme can be gauged from the fact that already a dam is being made some distance below the power-house, which will hold the waters after passing through the first set of generators to form the head water of the second stage of the scheme. The loading of Waikaremoana last night of power to feed a rapidly increasing area, marks a further important step in the progress of the Hawke’s Bay district. The first great turbo-generator, of 20,000 kilowatts, lias been running for 1 < drying out ’’ purposes for about a fortnight, and on Monday evening all was in order for the trial loading. Mr. I. R. Robinson, district electrical engineer at Mangahao, arrived at Napier in the afternoon to supervise operations tit the Taradale sub-station, a few miles outside Napier. Mr. W. H. Gregory, resident engineer at Wnikaremoana, was in charge of the station at Mangahao. The power was shut off. and following a half-hour of thorough testing by instrument, and a c.omparison of readings over the telephone, the Waikaremoana switches were closed at 12.150, and the station took up the small night load of Napier and Hastings and a couple of freezing works. The operations were completely successful, and Waikaremoana proved itself ready to take over part of the heavy demand upon Mangahao. Its power may reach Wellington in a few days, each step ahead being taken after a thorough test. Waikaremoana has started in time to relieve Mangahao’s falling dams, and the worries of the engineers and the Public Works Department over the problem of meeting the full demands of the Government consumers will presumably not be repeated. The supply from Waikaremoana was to have been available next June, but owing « the overloading of Mangahao and the non completion of Arapuni the .work was speeded up.