Power For Viti Levu

Fiji Inquiring Into Hydro-Electric Plans

A CONSULTING engineer, Mr. H.

Vickerman, of Wellington, NZ, will proceed to Fi.li soon, to investigate various plans for hyrdo-electric installa tions in Fiji, and report upon same to the Government of Fiji.

Especially will he inquire into possibili ties in Viti Levu which, with its heavy rainfall and big rivers falling sharply out of the mountans into the coastal plain, seems to have been designed by nature for the development of hyrdo-electric power.

In the middle ’thirties, when the Vatou koula gold-mine industry was being developed, rival interests (some headed by Sir Charles Marr, MP, of Australia, and some by the Hon. E. G. Theodore, director of the new gold enterprises) in vestigated the possibilities of hydro electric power in Viti Levu; but, for some reason (ascribed by some to political an tagonisms) nothing came of these plans, and the gold industry installed its own powerful generating plant, driven by oil engines.

Hydro-electric plans were not dealt with during the war period.

IN November, 1946, the subject was re vived by a memorandum to the Government from the Director of Works, who said he sought a river cap able of being harnessed to give 15,000 h.p. He discussed various schemes, and his memorandum has aroused some con troversy.

There seem to be three schemes in Viti Levu. These are:— 1. —Central Viti Levu—(a) Upper Siga toka (Vuka-ni-Manu). (b) Wai-ni- Vodi Creek (Mua-ni-Savu Levu Falls), (c) Wai-ni-Savu Levu Creek (Vau Falls).

These schemes were closely investigated by two Sydney engineers, Messrs. A. G.

Gibson and H. G. Foxall, under Sir Charles Marr’s directions, in 1935-36, and they were favourably impressed with at least one of them The Works Director says their catchment is too small and the cost of making them accessible by road would be enormous. This has been sharply contradicted by Mr. Theo D.

Riaz, of Navai, who claims to know the country well, and has had it undter ob servation for a long period. It is con tended that power generated here could be economically reticulated over all Viti Levu—and especially to the sugar mills and airfields, to the gold-mine in dustry at Tavua, and to Suva. 2.—Nadi River. This location is well to the westward of the island. It is des cribed as a promising possibility for Nadi, Lautoka and Ba. 3.—Navua River. This is on the south side of Viti Levu. It is strongly favoured by the Works Director, who says it can be readily dammed to give a large reser voir, that it has a good catchment, and that from a generating station there power could be distributed to Navua, to Suva and to the Rewa Delta (Nausori, etc.).

Experts always disagree. To the plain layman, the idea of placing the power station at a central point, from which it could feed light and power to the whole of the island, seems sound. But accessibility is important; and catch ment, of course, is vital.