Careful management required during line work

06 Mar 2007

Careful management required during transmission line work

National grid owner and operator Transpower has re-commenced work on one of the main transmission lines that supplies Christchurch and the upper South Island.

The Livingstone to Islington 220 kV line will be out of service until 8 April, to allow a section of the line to be duplexed – that is, the existing single conductor wire is being replaced with double conductor, increasing the capacity of the line.

50 kms of the line was duplexed last summer and a further 20 km is planned during the current work. A third stage will be completed next summer.

Work on the Islington to Livingstone line is part of an ongoing programme of investments by Transpower to meet increasing demand for electricity in the upper South Island.

As System Operator, Transpower is co-ordinating with lines companies and generators in the region to manage the project and ensure there is an adequate supply of electricity while the line is unavailable.

GM System Operations, Kieran Devine, says if there’s a cold snap in the next few weeks, the margin between supply capacity and peak demand may be tight.

“As System Operator, Transpower will be closely monitoring demand and weather forecasts and the work can be stopped if necessary. It is possible that at peak demand times local lines companies may need to take demand reduction measures, such as ripple control of hot water cylinders.

“The increasing demand on our power system requires careful planning of work on transmission lines and Transpower is coordinating closely with the industry to ensure that supply is maintained to consumers,” Kieran Devine said.

ENDS

© Scoop Media