dam assists borough

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1931, Page 6

dam assists borough

POWER SHORTAGE AVERTED SUM OF £ioo SAVED IN ONE WEEK, BETTER VOLTAGE FROM STORAGE. “But for the storage of water m the Mangamahoe baSjn we should have been now in just the same position as we were at Christmas,” said the electrical engineer (Mr. \V. H. Huggett) at a meeting of the New Plymouth borough Council last evening. “With the storage, by drawing a small amount from the Taranaki Power Board, we can just maintain the supply.” He pointed out that £lOO had been saved in one week through the smaller need to draw from the Taranaki Power Board. , With the storage available iri tne Manganiahoo basin and with a rivet flow of’2ft Bin, it had been possible to maintain the borough electricity supply without any assistance ffom the Tara* pahi Power Board, said Mr. Huggett. With a falling river assistance was necessary, but to a much less extent than formerly, due to the fact that a good head of water could be maintained, on the turbines. The number of units drawn from the Taranaki Power Board during that period was 35,235, costing £220. That, compared with a period udder similar conditions of river flow without the storage of the Mangamahoe basin, showed a saving of approximately £lOO. That figure could have been improved if the lake had been full but it had been necessary to watch closely the surface level. More reliable comparisons would be possible when the dam was completed and the lake full.

“This is ample justification for the decision of the council to compensate the contractors for hastening the completion ■of the work,” said Cr. G; M. Spence. “It is cheering |o see that the whole of the money advanced has already been made up.” The plafit at the fertiliser works would have to be started up to-day, said the engineer, as the Taranaki Power Board’s supply had gone down owing to the spell of dry weather. If they had had the extra three feet of water in the dam, they wt>iild have had to draiv very little from Tariki.

“The position.is that had we not had this storage at Mangamahoe,” said Cr. P. E. Stainton, “‘Tariki Would not have been able to supply all our. requirements to-day for electric light and the trams. With the storage at Mangamahoe, said the engineer, they could get a full head on the turbines. For the same amoiint of water they Could get a much bigger output. The water was available as it was requited and there was no gap in the flow. Previously the whole system had practically'' been a race fiom the river to thb Machine. Now a great deal more power could be generated from the same amount of water.

The electrical engineer at Inglewood had tolcf him, said Cr. G. M. Spence, Shat there had been a considerable improvement in the voltage with the operation of the dafm.