TLC crews back working on the network

1 November 2021

From 8 November, TLC crews will undertake limited planned maintenance work on the electricity network supplying the King Country and Ruapehu District.

 

While in Alert Levels 3 or 4, they have been focused on minimising power outages, scaling down planned maintenance work, and attending to unplanned outages. With several key essential network improvement projects required to operate a reliable and safe network, TLC confirmed today they are now getting back to work in a controlled manner.

GM Network, Mike Fox, said some of the network projects required the power to be temporarily turned off and customers will have time to plan for when this happens.

“We know for some, turning the power off is not ideal. However, undertaking planned work now means we can give customers early notice so that they can plan, and reduce the likelihood of unexpected power outages in the future.

“It’s important we get work underway again to prevent a large backlog of planned work developing and we’ll be planning the work so it affects as fewer customers as possible while parts of our network region remain in level 3.

“Electricity retailers will notify affected customers in advance of a planned outage – and we display information about outages on our website” said Fox.

The lines business confirmed while a return to planned work was underway, the business will still follow strict covid safety protocols.

TLC’s CE Sean Horgan said, “Getting back to work doesn’t mean we’re not following COVID protocols. In fact, more so than ever, our teams will be focused on ensuring the safety of themselves and others in the community.

“If people see our team out and about on the network, please keep yourselves and them safe by keeping a safe 2-metre distance.

“The community has been very supportive, understanding and patient throughout the recent lockdown as we continued to do what we needed to do to keep the lights on. We wholeheartedly thank everyone for their cooperation as we get our network improvement projects underway again.”

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FAQs

Are TLC’s crews doing work on the network?

Yes, they are conducting routine maintenance and planned work which may require the power to be turned off. Once we’re at alert level 2, we will also be working on other projects to improve the network and supply to customers.

What sort of work are they doing?

During alert level 3 they will be completing some planned work to improve reliability, inspecting lines and poles, pillar boxes, substations and responding to unplanned outages.

Why are they doing the work at AL3?

To reduce the chance of unplanned outages in the future, make sure customers have a reliable power supply and remain connected to electricity.

Will they keep a safe distance from us?

Yes, they will maintain a safe 2m distance from those outside of their work bubble.

Who do I call if there is an outage?

Call our friendly local outages team on 0800 367 328