Workers start work on the Pūtiki side of the river. Photo / Bevan Conley
Workers start work on the Pūtiki side of the river. Photo / Bevan Conley
Work has begun on removing two of the city’s old electrical towers whose lines span the Whanganui River.
The first to be removed and replaced was on the city side near the Bullocks yard on Taupō Quay, with work now starting on the Pūtiki tower.
Powerco said it was href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/over-60-year-old-power-towers-spanning-whanganui-river-to-be-replaced/4BKNRFDDTJFYBJHMXFMO4UMYR4/" target="_blank">replacing the towers to ensure the electricity supply to Whanganui City remained safe, resilient and reliable well into the future. The towers carry high-voltage lines which power much of the Whanganui CBD including the hospital and council buildings.
They are being replaced like-for-like, with the lines they carry being upgraded at the same time.
Powerco had looked at several options, including refurbishing the existing towers, replacing the towers with monopoles, installing a cable underneath the river, installing cable on a bridge and moving the towers.
None of those options were found to be feasible for reasons including environmental impact (including on Te Awa o Whanganui), earthquake and flooding risk, and cost.
Workers and two cranes begin the work of replacing the tower next to Bullocks on Taupō Quay. Photo / Bevan Conley
