Line upgrade work begins at Kuratau
8 October 2019
A major upgrade of power lines announced earlier this year by The Lines Company (TLC) for Kuratau on the western side of Lake Taupō begins later this month.
From mid-October through to around the end of November, TLC crews will be renewing poles and cross-arms, while carrying out other maintenance work on lines supplying power to settlements around the Kuratau –Omori – Pukawa area.
General manager – network Mike Fox said customers should expect, and plan for, power shutdowns that will be needed to do the work safely.
Customers would get their usual mailed notification of when a shutdown affected them, though he acknowledged some customers could experience more than one supply interruption over the period of the upgrade work.
“We’re keeping shutdowns to a minimum and, to avoid the upcoming long weekend break, scheduling the first series of full day interruptions into the 22 – 24 October period,” he said.
“There’s a high number of holiday homes in the area so we’re asking all residents to be aware of our work and to plan for what’s needed at their homes and businesses while they are without power. This includes making appropriate provision for perishables, alarm systems and the like.”
The upgrade work is designed to increase supply reliability and reduce the number of outages that have been experienced in the area over recent years and, if something did occur, speed up reconnection. Kuratau’s transformer is also being replaced in 2020.
Further tips for planning and what to consider during shutdowns can be found at thelinescompany.co.nz