At Top Energy, we are responsible for making sure our electricity network is safe, reliable and resilient.
This year, our focus is on reducing the disruption to power consumers when there are outages on the 11kV distribution lines that run along highways and roadsides in the Far North.
We are in the planning stage of multiple projects and you can expect to see our teams out in the field late spring and summer.
Since 2000, we have installed over 250 automated and remote-controlled systems, including interconnection circuits throughout the electricity network. This technology enables us to disconnect, reroute and resupply power around an outage when one occurs, and plays an important part on how we reduce the impact of outages on customers.
Interconnection
Loops are created at various points in our 11kV network. When there is a fault, we can isolate the part of the network that needs repair and re-route electricity so not all customers in the area experience an outage.
Automation
Automated, remotely-accessible equipment is used to isolate lines at points where there is a fault. Customers who don’t have to be affected can have their power automatically restored before our Fault Responders are on site.
Planned maintenance projects
We are working on several projects this financial year designed to improve network reliability.
- Paua (Te Kao) pole and hardware replacement
- South Road (Kaitaia) and Horeke feeder automation
- Tokerau pole and feeder replacement
- Rangihuia / South Road and Whangaroa / Matauri Bay interconnection
- Omanaia 33KV structure replacement
- Moerewa wooden pole cross arm replacement
- Haruru insulator and cross arm replacement
- Russell Peninsula redundancy cable
Region-wide projects
- Low Voltage Data Capture maintaining data for our low voltage network to help us find and restore faults faster (started)
- Ground mounted switch gear replacement for end-of-life equipment (ongoing)
Published in Far North newspapers week beginning 11 July 2022