Feilding substation upgrade set to begin
Work begins this month on a $9.63 million upgrade of the Feilding substation to help ensure the community’s power supply remains reliable now and enables future growth in the area.
Supplying electricity to about 13,000 customers, the work involves replacing the substation’s electrical equipment, which is currently outdoors, with a purpose-built indoor switchroom, Powerco General Manager Electricity Karen Frew says.
“Feilding substation is a key site in our northern ManawatÅ« electricity network. As well as supplying the Feilding community with power, it supplies both Sanson and Kimbolton substations, and commercial and rural customers in the surrounding area.
“Some of the existing equipment dates back to the mid-1960s and has reached the end of its life. It’s important that we upgrade this site now so we can continue to provide the Feilding community with reliable power and ensure there’s capacity for future electricity use.
“The existing outdoor switchyard has little room for future expansion. Moving to an indoor switchboard will allow us to accommodate additional circuits to support regional growth,” Karen Frew says.
The upgrade of the substation on the corner of Haybittle and East streets includes:
- Building a new concrete, mono-pitch roofed switch room, scheduled to be completed by April 2024, at which point the internal electrical fit-out will begin.
- Permanently removing a two-pole overhead power line structure outside the substation on East St.
- Installing two new power poles on East St.
- Demolishing the existing building and outdoor switchgear, which is expected to start in August next year.
While a walled-off ‘construction zone’ means the building work can be safely carried out while the power remains on, some planned power outages will be needed next year.
Affected customers will receive advance notification from their electricity retailer (the company they pay their power bill to) of any planned outages. People can also check for planned outages here.
“We’ll be working hard to minimise any disruption to the surrounding community. In mid-November, sheet piling to support excavation on site will be installed. We know installing sheet piling can be noisy. We expect this work to take several days, during weekday business hours only.
“Thank you Feilding for your patience and understanding while we carry out this essential work,” Karen Frew says.
Click here for the project page.