Wealth in Water Power

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVIII, Issue 19941, 27 October 1934, Page 6

Wealth in Water Power

CANADA’S BIG SOURCE OF SUPPLY INSPIRATION TO NEW ZEA ZEALAND

Canada, like New Zealand, but on a larger scale, is fortunate in possessing a plentiful supply of water for power development. The available and developed water is estimated at over 40 million horsepower, of which only about 6,000,000 have so far been utilised. Waterpower development in Canada has been most striking, having grown from 890,000 h.p. in 1910 to over 6,000,000 at the present time. Canada’s per capita utilisation of water power amount to nearly 600 h.p. per 1000 of the population, being among the highest in the world (New Zealand’s is under 300 h.p. per 1000. There are well over 300 hydro-electric stations, of which over two-thirds are owned by commercial organisations and slightly under one-third by municipal and public authorities. The capital invested totals about £3OO millions. Some of the big Canadian schemes are the Gatineau Power Company’s Paugan Falls plant, Quebec, of 204,000 h.p. from six units of 34,000 h.p. each. The plant has an ultimate capacity of 16 units, of a total horsepower of 550,000. The Manitoba Power Company’s Great Falls scheme on the Winnipeg river, develops 168.000 h.p. from six units of 28,000 h.p. each. This scheme is very similar to the Waitaki scheme in many respects.

Between Lake Ontario and Montreal the Beauharnois section of the river St. Lawrence has been harnessed. This section, between Lake St. Francis and Lake St. Louis, a distance of 18 miles, has a fall of 83 feet and two million available horsepower. One of the biggest problems of the undertaking was the construction of the Beauharnois canal between the two lakes at a cost of about £3,500,000. The width of the canal at water level is 3000 feet and on the bed 600 feet, the d«pth being 27 feet. At the powerhouse end, locks are provided to allow the shipping to descend to the Lake St. Louis level, thereby eliminating the necessity to navigate one of the most difficult portions of the St. Lawrence river. The river discharge varies between 318.000 and 173,000 cusecs, average being 220GOO cusecs, or over 50,000 more than the Waitaki’s estimated maximum. By utilising about one-quarter of the total flow, about 500,000 horsepower is available for the initial plant. The Power house is constructed on a ledge of rock on the edge of Lake St. Louis. It was necessary to cut in the rock a 900 feet tailrace. The building of reinforced concrete, has accommodation for fourteen 50,000 h.p. units, of which four have been installed. The generators are 40 feet in diameter, and 26 feet high.