Pylon powered up after race against the clock

The replacement tower securing the electricity supply to Kaitaia. Photo / File

A successful half million dollar engineering and repair project in the Mangamukas has secured the power supply to Kaitaia and surrounding district.

On Sunday Top Energy carried out the last task in completing a $550,000 job on a power line tower damaged by a landslide after heavy rain just before Christmas.

It was a race against the clock to get the power switched over to the replacement tower with ex-tropical cyclone Pam blowing up a storm, Top Energy chief executive Russell Shaw said.

"The damaged tower had shifted substantially and was only being held in place by guy ropes, strops and weights.

"The conditions on late Sunday were exactly the types of conditions that could have caused the tower to collapse over the cliff it was sliding down so we were literally racing against the clock to get the last of the repair work done."

In the pre-Christmas storm, a 100m long landslide in rough terrain dislodged and severely damaged a lattice tower carrying the only high-voltage line supplying electricity to Kaitaia. Had the tower failed completely, Kaitaia and other northern districts could have lost power for weeks.

The replacement work was carried out in February and earlier this month, with the final conductors (electricity lines) switched from the failing tower to the new one on Sunday.

An electricity cut in Kaitaia and surrounding areas was needed so Top Energy staff and specialist crews from Northpower could do the work safely.

Mr Shaw paid tribute to the spirit and expertise of the Top Energy, Northpower and Transpower staff and the many contractors who worked throughout February and March in the remote and rugged location in the Mangamukas to clear the site for the new structure, build it and secure the damaged one.

"Then, on Sunday, in strong wind and rain " literally in the face of a cyclone " they finished the job as planned," he said. "It was a remarkable effort by everyone concerned and the people of the Far North can be proud of them."

Damage from ex-tropical cyclone Pam was limited. Only 1200 customers experienced any type of disruption to their electricity supply, mostly as a result of trees falling across or into lines.