Transpower’s $47m Redclyffe rebuild gets green light to boost Hawke’s Bay power resilience

The Redclyffe power station after Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke's Bay in February 2023.

A $47 million rebuild of crucial Hawke’s Bay power station Redclyffe will start in November and be completed by the end of next year.

State-owned national grid operator Transpower said the go-ahead came after Tuesday’s final approval from the Commerce Commission.

The rebuild marks the culmination of three years’ effort after the devastation of the site near Taradale in Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.

Matt Webb, executive general manager grid development at Transpower, said the next phase was to rebuild the main 220kV switchyard.

Essential equipment would be raised out of the reach of 1-in-450-year flooding events and boosting earthquake resilience.

“Cyclone Gabrielle caused the greatest loss of power supply the region has ever experienced,” he said.

“We made a commitment to the people of Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti that we would work to make their power supply more resilient to future extreme weather and seismic events.”

Footprints in the mud at Redclyffe Substation after Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke's Bay in February 2023.

He said the Commission had “rigorously tested” the plans and its approval meant the rebuild could be completed.

Significant work had already been completed to boost resilience with an additional larger capacity transformer installed last year. It had doubled the amount of electricity that can be imported into the region via Transpower’s high-voltage national electricity transmission.

Webb said the package of post-Gabrielle work was planned alongside local lines company partners Unison Networks and Firstlight Network, in consultation with local communities and businesses.

It will enable businesses and communities in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti to “move into that electrified future with confidence”.

Transpower says there will be no interruption to local electricity supply during the rebuild.

Doug Laing is a Hawke’s Bay Today reporter, based in Napier, with more than 50 years’ experience in the news industry, and more than three decades of trying to help sports teams, clubs and children stay in the game.