Testing times for linemen in Mackenzie supply upgrade

April 16, 2012

Testing times for linemen in Mackenzie supply upgrade

Keeping the electricity flowing smoothly through the barren and at times inhospitable Mackenzie Country can be a lineman’s challenge at times.

And when you have to climb steep terrain carrying your ladder and tools just to reach the base of a power pole miles from anywhere you know this is going to be no ordinary day at the office.

But linemen from Timaru-based power construction company Netcon are well used to the trials that go with the job. In fact they brought one of their own on behalf of parent company Alpine Energy on their recent scheduled upgrade of the 41km Simon’s Pass supply line in the Mackenzie Basin.

A new native South American timber known as Purpleheart, sustainably grown in Guyana, came with them right to the top of some of the poles they upgraded recently in a trial to see if the new hardwood cross-arms would last longer in the harsh Mackenzie climate.

The almost half million dollar maintenance and upgrade programme on the crucial electricity supply line near Twizel that runs to the top of Mt Mary was undertaken for the benefit of Mackenzie runholders, the surrounding rural community and those who use radios and cellphones relying on the Mt Mary repeater station.

Netcon’s overhead foreman Peter Connor, who led the team on the Simon’s Pass project, said it took around 30 staff just under six weeks to complete.

He said the testing maintenance schedule spanning 408 poles over 41km with the replacement of 70 was satisfying and rewarding work and a statement of commitment that Alpine Energy has to providing the best possible power supply to remote domestic consumers and to areas of economic importance.

The work was designed to reduce unplanned outages on the line and involved tightening nuts and bolts, replacing rotten cross-arms and broken insulators, upgrading some insulators, upgrading service wires and repairing wear and tear to conductors.

Barren it might be, but lonely it wasn’t. Mr Connor said his men found plenty of company in the vast Mackenzie Basin – “sneaking” soldiers on patrol exercises from the nearby Tekapo military Camp and plenty rabbits.

“The rabbit populations in the Mackenzie were noticeable,” Mr Connor said. “They must be hungry, they had even been eating the bases of some power poles.

“And we had some fun with the soldiers on exercises who were trying to pretend we weren’t there. Bit difficult when they tried to hide behind our trucks to conceal themselves from the ‘enemy’.”

Project manager Steve Thomas, of Alpine Energy, praised the commitment of the Netcon team “who faced long periods away from home and working in a challenging environment”.

He said the land, while appearing flat, was actually scarred with steep terraces and dry ravines and riverbeds, some impassable to vehicles.

“And the line that went up to the Mt Mary radio repeater was very steep, forcing crews to climb to the poles with their gear and ladders.”

The scheduled maintenance of the Simon’s Pass line was just one of several such projects Alpine Energy and Netcon undertake every year. Alpine’s policy is to inspect poles on lines older than 20 years every 10 years. Similar maintenance has also just been completed on the line from Tekapo to Grampians Station along Haldon Road. Mr Thomas said next would be a line at Glentanner in the Aoraki Mt Cook region, followed by work around Pareora River Road and Pleasant Valley Road.

Crucial to the success of all projects was the co-operation of the community and landowners providing access to remote installations.

Alpine Energy chief executive Andrew Tombs says the company is grateful for the wide community support received.

“With projects of this nature acknowledging the support of the community is always very important. The project was successfully completed on time and on budget due in turn to the good work of the teams that worked on it, but also to the support of the community,” Mr Tombs said.

“Our role in providing a robust reliable service to the community is one we take very seriously. The completion of this project has resulted in a line that will continue to provide good service,” he said.

“Alpine’s mission includes, ‘providing safe, efficient, reliable and cost-effective energy delivery that promotes efficient and sustainable energy use’ and one of our key values is being part of the community.

“Our commitment and follow-through on a project such as Simons Pass encapsulates these to our core. The successful completion of a project like this makes me very proud of all of our teams,” Mr Tombs said.

ENDS

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