Evening star., 1916-01-08
TO INCREASE CAPACITY
OF TSELECTR|C PLANT
Potomac Power Company Plans I'm
provements to Meet Growing
Demand in District.

With demand for electricity in the
District last year almost eaualins the
maximum peak lode capacity OF ene
Benning power plant. the Potofnac
Electric Power Company, II was
learned today, has completed plans ioi
the installation of a mammoth steam
turbine, which will increase the eolai
capacity of the plant from $1,000 morse
power to 10000 horsepower. Tne new
equipment alone will have a capacity Vi
$4,000 horsepower and will De .no
largest single unit of power IN the
! generating station.
The Improvement, which, in adoitioh
| to the installation of the turbine, caiis
/ for an extensive addition to the puiio
, ing and the installation of a condehser
capable of pumping two and a hait NIL
| lion gallons of water every hour. VIII
! cost S350,000. according to ofhciais o.
| the company. Not alone this, put lae
| lighting concern plans to spend an az
ditional $1,000 on new mains, cohuul.
work. meters, transformers ana new
street lights, so that its total expehuii,,
| ture for Improvements this year Will
reach $6o0.0O0. ,.., ..
| the Bennng power station completed ny
August, with the turbine installeo anu
ready for service by October. Inc IN
| provement will be directed by l.. =.
Sinclair. general superintendent OF ehe
company.
Company's Business Increases.
! An increase in the company's business
| last year of nearly 5000 new subscrip-
ers. together with an expected increase
In demand this year for electricity for
, heating and cooking. following the
adoption of cheaper rates for this serv-
ice. made imperative enlargement OF the
power plants capacity.
The new turbine will be Sc feet 6
| inches long by II feet wide and 13k
teet high. The largest turbine now in
operation at the station has capacity
of 5000 kilowatts, whereas the new
equipment will be capable of generat-
ing $4,000 kilowatts. This part of the
improvement alone will cost $4,000.
he condenser will cost $4,000,
and enlargement of the building. to-
eether with the installation of switches,
| switchboard gallery. steam piping and
other necessary improvements, more
than 100000.
The plant now has a total capacity Of
$1,000 kiiowatts. During the year just
closed the total lode on the station
reached the peak of 36,400 kilowatts.
thereby nearly reaching the capacity
Of the plant. The increase in horse
power capacity from $1,000 to 10000
and in kilowatt capacity from $1,000 to
$4,000 will be sufficient to meet the de-
mand made upon the station for sew
eral years, 1t is believed.
Expended 100000 Last Year.
The company, it is stated, spent about
100000 last year on extra ordinary i'm
provements. These included the install
lation of two feeders at the Benning
power station, at a cost of $4,000;
equipment of the substation at 14th
and b streets northwest with an addi-
tional 1896 kilowatt uit for railway
work; equipment of the substation at
8th and y streets with a new 1000
kilowatt lighting rotary; equipment of
the lexington substation with bUv-
kilowatt frequency change. and equip
ment of the Anacostia substation. at
Nichols and Howard avenues, with a
500-kilowatt railway unit, to supply
current for the extension to the steel
plant at Giesboro Point. The substa-
ton improvements last year cost about
$50, 900.
The 1916 Improvement schedule calls
for very few Improvements at the sub
stations, as the entire budget of more
than 100000 will be devoted to en-
larging the central plant and making
the unusual extensions to meet in
creas sed demand for service.