Western Bay Of Plenty Electricity Infrastructure Options Released To Public

Transpower has today released its preferred options for upgrading electricity infrastructure in the Western Bay of Plenty.

Public consultation on the options, which were developed jointly with local electricity distribution company Powerco, is open until 9 September.

Transpower said it is working with Powerco to ensure a coordinated approach to delivering the long-term electricity infrastructure needed to supportthe rapidly growing region.

“Our focus is on ensuring the people and businesses of the Western Bay of Plenty have the electricity supply they need, now and in the future,” said Cobus Nel, Transpower Acting Executive General Manager - Grid Development.

“Last year we consulted on a wide range of options for necessary upgrades to the electricity network, and now we’re releasing a refined short list for feedback.

“In the area covering Tauranga city and Kaitemako and extending to the west, our preferred option will improve electricity capacity and resilience by providing a new point of supply connected to the national electricity grid,” Mr Nel said.

“The second piece of the puzzle is to improve electricity capacity in the area from Mt Maunganui to Te Puke and the coastal strip towards Papamoa and Wairakei, by upgrading the existing 110 kV transmission line from Kaitemako through to Te Matai, Okere and then Tarukenga.”

A new 110 kV transmission line from the existing Te Matai substation to Wairakei is also proposed to support planned and future growth in this eastern corridor.

Powerco General Manager Electricity, Karen Frew, welcomed the release of the preferred options and urged the local community to review the plan and provide feedback.

“Connecting communities to reliable and resilient energy is at the heart of what we do.

“Looking holistically at electricity infrastructure in this growing region will enable better outcomes for communities, ensuring we deliver the right projects at the right time,” said Ms Frew.

The western corridor and eastern corridor solutions together create a proposed Western Bay of Plenty Development Plan to meet the electricity needs of the region into the future, with upgrade work proposed to begin from 2027.

The next step is to understand the views of people and communities about these proposed solutions. Transpower’s consultation is open from 30 July until 9 September 2024 and the consultation documents are available on the Transpower website.

Notes : 

• “Western Bay of Plenty”includes Tauranga, Mount Maunganui, east to Ōmōkoroa, west past Pāpāmoa to Te Puke and Maketu, and south to Tauriko and Pyes Pā.
• Transpower runs New Zealand’s high-voltage, national electricity transmission network, bringing power from where it is generated to grid substations across the region.
• Powerco’s lower-voltage, local electricity distribution network connects to these grid substations, bringing power to homes, workplaces and community facilities.
• Both organisations are committed to ensuring electricity supply is maintained and new demand for electricity can be met as the western Bay of Plenty region grows and develops. 

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