Cable to improve reliability of power

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 Wakatipu.

At a meeting with Arthurs Point residents last month, Aurora asset management and planning general manager 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 across June and July.

Following investigations, the Dunedin City Councilowned company made ‘‘operational adjustments’’ aimed at reducing the load on the Queenstown network.

‘‘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,’’ Mr Coates said.

‘‘This project you will have seen . . . [at] Hunter Road . . . that’s the solution.’’

Work to bury the new cable, on the corner of Malaghans and Hunter Rds, 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 is laid there will be increased capacity catering to growth and new development, and greater security of supply.

That should lead to unplanned power outages in the area trending down.

From 20172021 power cuts in Arrowtown declined from 67 to 31.

So far this year, Arrowtown has had 56.