HYDRO-ELECTRIC SUPPLIES

Taranaki Daily News, 29 September 1930, Page 3

HYDRO-ELECTRIC SUPPLIES

WAIKAREMOANA’S PROBLEMS. FAULTS IN ROCK FORMATION. Government surveyors are investigating in detail the nature of the rock formation at Waikaremoana, in view of the forthcoming visit to the hydro-elec-tric works of Professor P. G. Hornell. One problem is that of confining the outflow of water to the desired outlets. The lake lies 2000 feet high, and there are many places in the rocky basin through which the water escapes. It has, indeed, been suggested that there is some fracture in the ground through which it flows.' Where the difficulty has arisen is that water from the Waikaretaheke River is not sufficient to. supply more than two of the three turbines included in the initial scheme. At the same time there is an abundant supply of water In the lake if only it can be tapped. Methods of achieving this are now Doing investigated. One proposal is that the lake be partially drained and the bottom sealed, but this is not feasible, as it would probably be many years before the lake was refilled. Another is the construction of a dam across the lake outlet to raise the level of the water an additional ten feet. The dependence of Wellington upon Waikaremoana for the maintenance uf its power supply is dbalt with in the latest issue of the New Zealand Electric Journal. In a leading article this paper says:— “The southern portion of the North Island is served by the Mangahao plant of 19,000 k.w. coupled in with the Waikaremmuia plant of 32,000 k.w. capacity. The maximum combined load on both plants for the past winter has reached over 44,000 k.w., and as the average increase in loading is in the neighbourhood of 17 per cent., it would seem as if full load will be reached next year. Unfortunately the normal flow from Lake Waikaremoana is 500 cusecs, and the full load requirements of one unit is 352 cusecs, so that tnere are grave doubts as to ability of the plant to supply the next year’s requirements. This would be further aggravated should shortage of water occur at Mangahao, as this was never intended as a base load station. ’