Official Ground-Breaking at TLC's new Waitete substation

19 January 2021

The official ground-breaking at The Lines Company’s (TLC) new Waitete Substation site took place with sod turning this morning by Waitomo District Mayor John Robertson, as well as TLC Chair Mark Darrow, Chief Executive Sean Horgan, and GM Network Mike Fox.

The proceedings followed a blessing of the site by Phil Campbell, a Minister of the Ratana Church.

Attended by key representatives from construction partner NorthPower, along with key representatives from TLC, the soil-turning ceremony celebrated commencement of works on the $4.5 million dollar project set to provide major advantages to the community.

Mayor John Robertson spoke about the “significant benefits to the local community” from TLC’s investment in the substation that would deliver a more reliable supply and accommodate growth for the foreseeable future.

“The design enables a backup supply to customers to be maintained during planned maintenance or if an unplanned outage occurs on one piece of equipment at the substation,” said Mike Fox, GM Network.

Chief Executive Sean Horgan commented that “The new substation will deliver a modern, fit for purpose, zone substation that will accommodate a reliable supply for Te Kūiti for the next 20 – 30 years.”

The new Waitete substation will be TLC’s largest new build since the 1950s and will provide 50% more capacity than the existing substation, powering up to 2,200 households.

Watch the highlights from the event: https://youtu.be/RLzLvWVAQgw