Aurora Energy assisting Transpower to upgrade the electricity network

Aurora Energy is replacing some high voltage 33 kV lines between 19-23 February to increase capacity at the Frankton grid exit point. This is where Aurora Energy takes electricity from Transpower’s national grid before feeding it into the local Queenstown Lakes network.

In order to install the new cables in a safe and timely manner, customers who get their electricity fed from the substations at Queenstown, Commonage (Queenstown Hill), Fernhill and Glenorchy will have their power supplied via one 33 kV circuit, where they would usually be fed from three circuits.

The single circuit has the capacity to supply the network demand however should an unforeseen event cause a fault on the remaining line during the planned work repairs will need to be undertaken in order to restore supply.

It is very unlikely that there will be any issues during the line replacements, however if there are any unexpected outages, it is anticipated that power will be restored within 2-3 hours.

Aurora Energy is also replacing three power poles on 21 February, which may delay power restoration on that specific day if there is an outage.

It is a timely reminder to be prepared for the unexpected, and information about how to prepare for power outages can be found on Aurora Energy’s website: How to prepare for power outages (auroraenergy.co.nz)

ENDS

For further information please contact Aurora Energy’s Customer and Engagement Team, [email protected] or (03) 742 0931