The switchgear is now being installed in the building which has a floor level 1.8m off the ground.
“During the past five years, we’ve been delivering a $1.3 billion works programme throughout our electricity network areas, of which Whanganui is one,” Frew said.
The works programme was designed to deliver a safe, reliable and resilient electricity network, support growth in the communities Powerco serves, including Whanganui, and evolve the network for the future, she said.
Frew said during the 2015 flood in Whanganui, water flowed through the Peat St substation yard, where the new building has been constructed.
The new switchroom was important as it was part of an interconnected electricity network that supplied power throughout Whanganui, she said.
High voltage underground cables connect to the building – a section of the almost 8km of high-capacity underground cables installed this year across the city between Powerco’s Roberts Ave and Peat St substations, to the Taupō Quay substation, Frew said.
“This additional 33kV circuit means there are alternatives to restore power to the Whanganui community more quickly and safely if there’s a power cut.”
She said the circuit also supported the Taupō Quay substation which provided critical power supply to the CBD as well as the hospital.
“It’s a part of the investment Powerco is making to secure Whanganui’s power now and allow for future growth.”
To install the underground electricity cable, Powerco crews have used directional drilling, rather than open trenching, to reduce the impact on the community and road users.
Plans and consultation are also under way to renew the river crossing towers between the Whanganui national grid exit point (GXP) and the Taupō Quay substation, as well as upgrading the power line capacity between Brunswick GXP and Roberts Ave substation.
