Afternoon update: Hokitika power outage

This update follows our earlier release regarding a power outage affecting Hokitika and the surrounding area. Specialist crews have successfully travelled via helicopter to the Hokitika region and assessed the damage to transmission assets, following yesterday’s extreme weather conditions.

We can now confirm several transmission pole structures on the two circuits supplying the Hokitika substation have suffered significant damage, in rugged terrain near Arahura Valley.

Crews are working to complete repairs and safely restore the circuits: this work will continue until nightfall and begin again at first light tomorrow.

We expect these repair works to be completed tomorrow afternoon. Following these repairs, we expect full power supply to be returned to Westpower’s Hokitika substation by late afternoon tomorrow.

From there, local restoration to remaining customers will be managed by Westpower. There are still around 700 consumers without power, mostly in South Westland, some of whom will still be without power for some time as the remaining connections are completed. Westpower will supply regular updates on this progress.

There is never a good time for communities to be without power, and we apologise for the inconvenience. Our priority is restoring power supply to the area as soon, and as safely, as possible.

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