Aurora Energy hopes a new 33kV underground power cable — expected to be fully installed by the end of next March — will help
reduce unscheduled power outages in parts of the Whakatipu.
At a meeting with Arthurs Point residents last Friday morning, Aurora asset management and planning GM Glenn Coates, of Christchurch, said the power cuts to Arrowtown, Dalefield and Arthurs Point residents earlier this winter were related to ‘‘peak demand pushing assets to the absolute limit’’.
About 2300 residents were left without power three times in three weeks in June/July.
Following investigations, the Dunedin City Council-owned company made ‘‘operational adjustments’’ aimed at reducing the load on the Queenstown network.
Coates: ‘‘What we’ve done … is shifted from one 33kV feed to another so, now, part of that load is being fed on the Remarkables side, that comes up to Arrowtown, as opposed to the Dalefield side.
‘‘This project you will have seen … [at] Hunter Road … that’s the solution.’’
Work to underground the new cable, on the corner of Malaghans and Hunter roads, started in February.
At present, Arrowtown, Coronet Peak, Dalefield, The Remarkables and part of Arthurs Point are fed by two lines sharing the load between
them — with limited access to alternative supply if a fault occurs on either one.
Once the new cable’s laid there’ll be increased capacity catering to growth and new development, and greater security of supply.
That should start to see unplanned power outages in the area trend down.
The calendar years from 2017 to 2021 showed power cuts in Arrowtown reduced from 67 to 31 — a ‘‘good year’’ is 23.
So far this year, Arrowtown’s had 56.
