Work on Taumarunui's Borough Substation upgrade back in full swing

20 January 2021

Work on the second stage of the Borough Substation is now back in full swing designing the second phase of the project.

Growth and demand in the Taumarunui area of The Lines Company’s (TLC) network had increased to a point where an upgrade was required.

The first phase of the upgrade works replaced the two existing 5MVA transformers with two 10MVA transformers – doubling the supply capacity to meet current and future load demand. The upgrade has improved the reliability of supply by having the option to switch between transformers in the event of an outage of one transformer. This stage of the project was completed in January 2020.

Stage two will see the upgrade of the electrical protection systems at TLC’s Borough and Kuratau substations as well as Transpower’s Ongarue substation to accommodate the increased capacity.

“The new transformers double the capacity of supply in the Taumarunui region, future proofing the asset for generations to come.” said TLC’s GM Network Mike Fox.

“The transformer and protection upgrade will also reduce safety risks for our staff and further improve the reliability of Taumarunui’s power supply.”

Work at the Borough Substation is scheduled to be complete in mid-2021.