Demand reaches new record in upper North Island

22 Jun 2005

Power demand reaches new record in upper North Island –

The demand for electricity in the upper North Island reached a record level on Tuesday evening.

The upper North Island is the area from Huntly north.

At 5.30pm last evening the demand for electricity in the region reached 1955 megawatts (MW). This compares with the previous record of 1947 MW recorded on the 17th August 2004.

Transpower, as System Operator, has co-ordinated an industry working group to monitor and plan for power demand in the upper North Island.

The lines companies in the region, along with NZ Steel at Glenbrook, have provided information on likely peak demand this winter.

The industry working group has agreed that electricity demand is likely to peak at around 1990 MW but it is prudent to plan for demand reaching 2060 MW. Demand is likely to be highest on a cold weekday evening.

With all equipment available, the maximum supply that could be met is 2130 MW.

ENDS

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