lapsed. In 1936 when the Government took over the SEPB and renamed it the Southland Electrical Power Supply (SEPS) the power station was included in the assets that they acquired. In 1937 the canal between Lake Monowai and the headpond was deepened. The completion of a 110 kV transmission line in 1938 from Halfway Bush to Gore meant that Monowai powered system was connected to the national grid and hence to the Waitaki and Lake Power Stations. During the Second World War the Monowai power scheme was regarded as being of strategic value, which meant that a blackout was applied to the powerhouse and village, with sentries at the bridge and nighttime patrols of the pipeline and canal. In 1942 the power station was shut down for a short period so that the pipeline could be emptied and its interior re-tarred. At the same time some additional cradles were installed to support the penstock at the bend while other cradles were repaired or replaced. In May 1948 the hostel at Monowai village burnt down, with a replacement opening in 1951. The generator winding began giving problems and were repaired in 1954, 1957 and 1958. In 1958 following damage from cavitation the runners of the turbines were repaired. In 1955 a fire briefly closed the power station. In 1955 an 11 kV transmission line direct from Monowai to Te Anau was commissioned. In 1962 this was upgraded to 33 kV and in 1966 to 66 kV. In 1956 cracks in the runner of the turbine on machine No.1 were repaired at Roxburgh power station. In 1959 the spillway flash boards were removed. In 1961 the concrete lining the lake outlet and the canal were sealed, while at the same time the forebay and canal were cleared of sand. To improve its appearance dead trees were removed from the lake near the outlet in the 1960s. In 1986 an automatic screen-cleaning system was installed at the forebay. In 1988 the original 6.6 kV switchboard (including its slate control panels) was replaced. In 1991 a new control system was installed at the control gates at Lake Monowai, which allowed them to be controlled from the control room in the powerhouse. Proposed development In the mid-1990s with much of the original equipment reaching the end of its physical and economic life the consulting firm of Royds Garden was engaged to investigate the various options