to the website of
Palmerston North Electric Power Station Inc.
Domain
Name: www.pnpowerstn.org
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(2007) domain name to get rid of the annoying side-bar advert (& replace it with a
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Next Open Day: The First Sunday in November 2007 - is postponed due to the work extracting the British Polar engine from the trawler 'Seafire' as spare parts. Watch this space! - Although we may have other Open Days throughout the year (and we have a working bee group there almost every Sunday afternoon), our main annual open day is in November. This marks the anniversary of the official opening of the power station on 12 November 1924. Until 2006, this coincided with Palmerston North's AP&I Show weekend, however, from 2007 that event will be held in Feilding, so our plans may be reviewed. Email us to check.
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Industrial heritage isn't necessarily beautiful heritage. To some, a building such as the above (photographed 23/9/2000) is an eyesore. However, this side of this example of industrial heritage is not the one its architects planned for passers by to see. This is the 'business side' of the old Palmerston North Electric Power Station.
Where are we? The power station is located in Keith Street, Palmerston North, New Zealand, adjoining Terrace End Cemetery and overlooking Napier Road (State Highway 3).
The Beginning: The Palmerston North Borough Council (PNBC) built and equipped the Palmerston North Electric Power Station between December 1922 and March 1924. It began a limited supply of electricity, for lighting purposes only, in March 1924. Unrestricted usage began in August 1924. The facility was ‘officially’ opened on 12 November 1924. Between April and December 1924, the power station also supplied the Manawatu-Oroua Electric Power Board’s (MOEPB) customers, via its sub-station at Bunnythorpe. This ceased with the completion of 11,000-volt lines from the Mangahao Hydro Electric Dam to that sub-station. Mangahao itself was officially opened on 3 November 1924, a week before the Palmerston North facility’s 'official' opening
The Engines: At first, three National gas engines powered the station, but in 1936, the present two 1,400 hp. British Polar K48M diesel engines were installed. The gas engines were removed and scrapped in late 1953, although the original switchgear upstairs, and the four large compressed air cylinders on the wall downstairs remain The power station generated electricity regularly until the completion of the Cook Strait cable in 1965. After that, it helped reduce the loading at peak times. It was last used to continuously generate electricity when the level of the southern lakes dropped in 1992.
The
Politics: At
times over the years, the power station was the focus of battles between its
owner (PNBC, now PN City Council) and MOEPB, which surrounded the city. However, by the
time Centralpower (formerly MOEPB) purchased Palmerston North City Council’s
Electropower (formerly the council’s Municipal Electricity Department) in
December 1996, it had no use for the old building and its contents. PNCC,
therefore, remained its owner. The power station’s fate seemed shaky until the
Manawatu Branch of the NZ Historic Places Trust and interested local people
organised an open day and 'engine start' on 23 March 1997. In the two-hour
period, about 350 people visited the power station - despite terrible weather.
Because of growing interest in saving the building, a meeting of interested
people was held on 26 May 1997, and from this group PNEPS Inc. was in due course
formed.
Progress:
Although
several years have passed since then and to some not a lot may appear to have
happened, the organisational process has slowly ground onward. This included
leasing the building from PNCC and organising such things as the incorporation
of the society – all based on donated time. In early 1999, PNCC also re-roofed
the building - an expensive development that was essential if the facility was
to progress.
Significance and Developments: At present, we have in our ‘possession’ one of the few surviving power stations of its type that survives in New Zealand in a relatively unmodified form, and one of only two where the engines are still operational. The other is the power station at Springlands, in Blenheim. In February 1998, the society also inherited the collection of the Hamilton-based National Electrical Museum Society, the bulk of this material arriving in August and September 1999. It is at present stored off-site, while the power station is transformed to display it. Both of our engines were operational until the first days of March 2001. At that time our main operational one was stripped of much of its copper piping by thieves. It took two weeks, a huge amount of work and costs that far exceeded the scrap value of the stolen copper, to get it operational just in time for an open day and the visits of two groups, including one from overseas.
Our
Aims: The
society’s aim is to preserve and maintain the power station’s own plant in
working order, to present electrical history (regionally and in general),
display older electrical equipment (including domestic appliances) and to
educate in these matters and in relation to safety with electricity.
Historical
Technology
Pictures
Layout
Events
Activities
This Website belongs to:
Palmerston North Electric Power Station Inc., P.O. Box 1485, Palmerston North, New Zealand.
© Copyright 2000-2007 - PNEPS Inc. Details here.
This website was born on 23/9/2000.