Shoring up Coromandel's power

 

We’re investing in the Coromandel region to improve the reliability of the community's power supply.

With more people choosing to live in and visit the Coromandel region, there’s a greater demand for power. This means there are times during the year – particularly during busy holiday periods – when the level of demand is greater than what our electricity network was originally designed to deliver.

There’s a chance of losing power during these times of peak demand, and this will increase as the region’s electricity demand continues to grow, says Ryno Verster, Powerco General Manager of Strategy and Engineering.

“Coromandel is a beautiful part of our network, but there are significant challenges posed by potential line routes and the terrain, which often translates into significant costs or delays when building poles and wires.

“That’s why we’re investigating alternative options for the region that will keep the lights on for the community when demand for power peaks.”

Reliable solution with minimal environmental impact and at the lowest cost

During the past few years, Coromandel Peninsula customers have told us they want a reliable electricity network, with minimal environmental impact, and at the lowest cost.

With these priorities in mind, we’ve been exploring options to shore up a solution. In addition to engaging with the local community, we put the call out industry wide for registrations of interest for proposed solutions to provide additional supply during peak demand periods that meet the low cost, reliability, and environmental criteria.

Partnership with solarZero

Following our industry wide call out, we have established a partnership with solarZero, a home solar, battery storage and energy services company.

solarZero's system is a virtual power plant, made up of a network of hundreds of community-based smart energy storage and solar generation systems on homes across the region. 

Using this system, solarZero will provide 1MW of network support to Powerco to help maintain its electricity supply to customers in the north Coromandel during peak consumption times. 

The partnership is scheduled to begin in 2023 and will run for an initial six-year term.

You can read more about the partnership here.

Backup power to boost Coromandel community resilience

During 2024, two backup generators are being installed in Coromandel to power the township in the event of an outage and help support its electricity supply during busy holiday periods. 

The 2.5MVA generators are being installed within the Thames Coromandel District Council’s water treatment site on Whangapoua Rd, Coromandel, and will have the capacity to power about 3,000 homes and businesses.    

They will turn on automatically if there is a power outage. For example, if the only power feed to Coromandel township is affected by an outage (from the likes of storm damage, car v pole, damaged equipment, etc) the generators will power homes and businesses in the town until the main power line is repaired.    

The generators are expected to be fully operational during September 2024, with a project budget of $8.6 million.    

Meanwhile, in Matarangi, we're installing a single generator on Matarangi Drive, at the eastern end of the town’s transfer station, which is expected to be operational by the end of the 2024, which will have the capacity to power 2,900 homes and businesses.

As there are already backup electricity supply options for Matarangi in the event of a power outage, this generator is designed specifically for covering peak demand, such as during busy summer holiday periods. More people, means more demand for power – a greater demand for our traditional power lines can deliver, particularly at peak times when you're usually using electricity, like over breakfast or in the early evening when your family is home for dinner and turning appliances on.

The Matarangi site has been budgeted at $6.1 million – a fraction of the cost of a whole new route for power lines and poles traversing Coromandel Peninsula’s tricky terrain.

During the past few years, through consultation, our Coromandel Peninsula customers have told us they want a reliable electricity network at the lowest cost and the Coromandel and Matarangi generators will help deliver that.