Northpower Electricity Supply Situation

Date: Wednesday 11th July 2007

Subject: Northpower Electricity Supply Situation

Northpower is concentrating on main circuits to get as many people back on as soon as possible. Unfortunately this means that smaller areas and single customer faults will take longer to get to.

We are attempting to bring additional staff from other Northpower depots, as far south as Wellington, but only where they are not urgently required to maintain electricity networks in those areas. In spite of this, we expect that some customers will be without power until the weekend. Access to faults and continued high winds are still causing problems.

It is almost impossible to estimate restoration times for individual customers so we would ask that calls to Northpower are limited to urgent safety matters, such as wires or poles down, and trees through power lines.

Everybody is reminded to keep clear of power lines which are low or on the ground. Such lines should be treated as being live.

Major areas at present without power are:-

- Hikurangi and northwards
- Maungatapere and northwards
- Ngunguru and East Coast areas northwards
- Mareretu – Paparoa

ENDS

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