Huntly plays waiting game

By Melissa Moxon

HUNTLY - The battle to quench a fire at the Huntly Power Station has ended but it will be another day before firefighters can find out why a transformer exploded without warning.

The fire burned inside the 150-tonne oil-filled transformer for 30 hours before firefighters could get at it yesterday afternoon and smother the flames with foam and water.

The 250MW transformer, one of four at the station, is not expected to be cool enough to investigate until late today or tomorrow.

Hamilton deputy fire chief Phil Glover said the explosion could have occurred when an electrical fault sparked a buildup of gases.

On Monday night up to 20 firefighters ensured that the transformer connected to the front of the power station did not overheat while 80,000 litres of oil inside burned off.

Hamilton senior fire station officer Ron Wilson said the explosion at 7.20 on Monday morning had split the 40mm-thick steel casing open by up to 50cm.

He said the initial flames had been four storeys high and grass was charred in a 20m radius around the transformer.

Lives could have been lost if the blast had happened half an hour later, but few people were around at 7.20 am. Mr Wilson said it was only at midday yesterday when the transformer was cooler that two inspection plates could be removed and foam and water pumped inside.

The alarm system had failed to warn of the impending blast and that would be an important part of the Fire Service and Electricity Corporation investigations.
Company spokesman Nathan Douglas said staff were being briefed and those working near the fire scene had been given carbon dioxide monitors.

Fixed jets of water continued yesterday to cool the transformer, which had dropped in temperature from 300 degrees to 40 by late afternoon.

Industrial Research, a crown research institute in Lower Hutt, said new technology about to go on the market would eliminate the likelihood of such fires.

Ten years ago Industrial Research scientists created a superconducting material made from copper and bismuth, a crystalline metallic element.

Now in commercial production, the superconductor is expected on the market in the next few years, using liquid nitrogen as a coolant and insulation, instead of flammable oil.

Spokesman Dr Jeff Tallon said that in the event of failure and leakage, the liquid nitrogen would simply boil off into the atmosphere.

Pictured: Firefighter Tera Arthur stands guard as the job of cooling the damaged transformer continues. HERALD PICTURE / BRENDON O'HAGAN