Community to benefit from new underground electricity cable

Over the last 18 months, Aurora Energy have been working to upgrade the Arrowtown 33 kV distribution line subtransmission circuit (instead of distribution) that runs from Frankton Grid Exit Point to Malaghans Road at the corner of Hunter Road. This project began in early 2022 and was completed at the end of June, ahead of schedule.

The area was previously supplied by two power lines that shared the load between them, with limited access to an alternative electricity supply if there was a power outage. Aurora Energy General Manager Service Delivery Richard Starkey said the new 33 kV underground cable will provide a number of benefits for the community.

“The new cable provides increased capacity to cater to the significant growth and new developments expected over the coming years. This is good news for local customers and businesses, in particular the ski fields, and will reduce the risk of significant outages due to more options to reconfigure the network if there is a widespread outage, thereby reducing the number of customers impacted.”

Mr Starkey also said the new cable will help with the Increasing demand for electricity as more people move away from fossil fuels.

“More and more people are purchasing EVs and wanting more choice about how they use electricity, such as connecting solar to their home or business. The increased capacity the new line will provide is part of Aurora Energy future-proofing the network and helping people reduce their overall carbon emissions.”

Aurora Energy have been completing a large programme of work in the Arrowtown and surrounding areas as part of their 5-year $500 million investment programme to upgrade the electricity network and thank the community for their patience while this important work continues to be carried out.

More information can be found at www.auroraenergy.co.nz/about/major-projects/.