20/10/2026
Some things are just better indoors - toasters, the neighbour's karaoke machine, couches…. (don't feel targeted Dunedin) 🛋
Add electrical switchgear to the list!
Working alongside our colleagues at Powerco, we've just wrapped up work at Marton substation on a project to move the original 33kV outdoor switchyard indoors. ⚡
The move indoors means the electrical equipment is now more resilient and will require less maintenance over the course of its service life.
Inside, it is better protected against severe weather, damage from bird nesting and other issues that can come up when equipment is exposed to the elements. This means the new switchroom is more reliable for the decades to come where it will help to deliver a secure power supply throughout the lower North Island.
The original 33 kV outdoor switchyard was commissioned in 1930 and had been supplying Marton and surrounding areas for nearly 100 years. The equipment had reached the end of its life, which gave Powerco the opportunity to build an entirely new 33kV switchroom - indoors! 👷
Once the indoor switchroom was completed, the baton was passed to us to connect Powerco's new indoor equipment to our existing transformers at the substation.
So, how does this actually work?
Our high-voltage transmission lines carry power from where it's made at hydrodams, solar farms, wind farms and more into the 175 substations we're responsible for across Aotearoa. Once the power arrives at the substation, transformers lower the voltage so electricity can travel through local lines networks and into homes and businesses. 🏠 ⚡ 🏥
Now that the transformers are connected to the new switchroom, the old 33kV switchgear is being removed and the site tidied up.
Projects like this help keep the national grid in top shape to continue delivering a secure and reliable power supply to kiwis when and where they need it.
