Northpower spending nearly $200m upgrading network

Northland electricity lines company Northpower will put almost $200 million into the Kaipara and Whangarei economies during the next decade.

Its 10-year plan aims to renew and modernise the network to ensure a safe, secure and reliable supply to support new technologies like electric vehicles, roof top solar and energy storage.

The announcement follows a strong result for the 2018 financial year and a $25 million spend on maintenance and capital expenditure on its network.

Whangarei-based Northpower is also celebrating the city’s win at the EVworld NZ EV Champions awards.

“Being named New Zealand’s most electric vehicle-friendly town is a great accolade for Whangarei,” Northpower network general manager Josie Boyd says.

“Northpower sees a strong future for electric vehicles in the region as we continue to embrace them and utilise renewable energy to reduce our carbon footprint.

“Northland has one of the strongest EV highways in the country with the mix of fast chargers and destination chargers that we now have.”

Boyd says 18 destination chargers have been installed on the Northpower network in nine locations throughout Kaipara and Whangarei Districts since New Zealand’s first EV fast charging station opened in Whangarei’s central business district in May 2014. “These are capable of fully charging a vehicle in four to eight hours and many of them have charging points for e-bikes.”

Chief executive Andrew McLeod believes the investment roadmap, which will see the company spend $194m in the next decade, is a critical contribution to supporting economic growth in the region.

“We are pleased with our business performance this past year as we have sharpened our focus on our role in Northland and our New Zealand contracting operations. Supporting the communities and clients that have supported us over the years is at the heart of our business.”

This includes support for the Northland Rescue Helicopter Service – celebrating 30 years later this year – and other community initiatives

Meantime, Northpower connected 1087 new homes to its electricity network in Kaipara (338 homes) and Whangarei (748 homes) in the 2018 financial year. Strong connection growth is expected to continue in the electricity network with 348 new connections already completed since April 1.

During the 2018 financial year, Northpower Fibre connected 2603 people to its UFB network in Whangarei and connected 306 new homes outside of the city. Strong connection growth has continued for the 2019 financial year, growing by a further 1044 new connections over the past four months.