Entrust And Vector Announce Large Scale Undergrounding Project For Beachlands

Power lines are heading underground in large parts of Beachlands, in Auckland, as work is set to begin this month on a major undergrounding project.

Entrust chair Denise Lee said the work was another significant undergrounding project, similar in scale to the recent project in St Heliers.

“Entrust is committed to undergrounding because it makes a real difference to residents and so we’re pleased this important project will soon be underway,” she said.

The Beachlands undergrounding project consists of 16 streets, with a combined street length of 13.7km. It is a significant project and will result in the removal of 20.5km of overhead electricity lines.

“Entrust has an agreement with Vector that requires an average of $12.5 million to be invested in undergrounding and new technologies in the Entrust district of central, east and south Auckland every year.

“So far, more than 300 undergrounding projects have been completed, and around 72.3% of power lines in communities all over central, east and south Auckland are now underground, as at March 2024,” she said.

Vector’s process for choosing where to underground is run independently of Entrust and Beachlands was chosen based on a number of factors. These include the condition of the lines and equipment in the area, the performance history (capacity and outages), the number of customers who will benefit, and the level of other utility works planned for each area.

All new residential developments since the late 1960s have been undergrounded at the time of construction. This means parts of Auckland, such as south Auckland, have a significant proportion of the network underground already.

For more information on Vector’s approach to undergrounding, visit vector.co.nz/undergrounding.

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