8 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT WEL Networks T T Richard Loader Te Uku upgrade improves resilience The project out turn it is expected to be in the region of $4 million and within budget. Improving network resilience, enabling expansion of renewable energy projects and ensuring a thriving community through a reliable supply of electricity are the foundations of a project currently underway to upgrade WEL Networks existing 33/11kV Te Uku zone substation on the same site. Te Uku is a small, mainly farming, settlement on SH23 in the Waikato, about 10 kilometres from Raglan. The Te Uku substation is the primary source of electricity for the Te Uku area and also acts as a connection point to the Te Uku Windfarm, which is owned and operated by Meridian. It also acts as a backup power supply to the Raglan township, which is a significant customer base for WEL Networks. “The existing substation has been in service for the last fifty plus years and is coming to the end of its useful life,” says WEL’s Network Portfolio Manager Khane Kakai. “The existing substation equipment is all outdoors and will be replaced with new indoor equipment, which is more reliable and safer to maintain. A 90sqm building designed to the seismic requirements of the building code has just been completed to house the new equipment and protect it from the elements.” Khane says work is currently underway to install the new equipment and progressively transfer the functionality on a step-by-step basis from the old equipment to the new, before finally decommissioning and removing the old equipment from site. Niko (formerly known as Tesla) was awarded the contract to design the electrical system. The site enabling work and vertical construction elements were completed by Hamilton based Connell Contractors. The electrical installation is a partnership between WEL and Ventia. “We are currently in the process of installing the new indoor 33/11kV switchboard along with the associated secondary assets, and aim to have that commissioned before Christmas this year. We’re planning to have the project completed, with the electricity supply totally transferred from the old asset to the new, before 31st March 2025. “To date, the project has progressed without any significant issues and we have been able to maintain continuous power to our customers. WEL takes its projects very seriously and have delivered similar projects over the last few years. The experience the team has gained enables us to successfully deliver these types of projects.” The project out turn it is expected to be in the region of $4 million and within budget. “Our investment is a commitment to a reliable supply of power for the next fifty years and we have allowed flexibility in the design and planning to undertake further projects to further improve supply resilience in the Te Uku area and in Raglan.” WEL Networks is 100% community owned by WEL Energy Trust and is based in the Waikato with headquarters in Hamilton, and is New Zealand’s fifth largest electricity distribution business. In addition to its core role of designing and maintaining the safe, reliable, and efficient operation of electrical distribution assets and infrastructure throughout the Waikato region, WEL Networks has launched a series of New Zealand-first initiatives in its drive to shape energy transformation. In partnership with subsidiaries Infratec and NewPower, the company’s Rotohiko project near Huntly delivered the country’s first utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Completed in October last year, the 35MWh battery is an innovative and customer focused response to the challenge of storing the energy produced by renewable sources. In partnership with subsidiaries Infratec and NewPower, the company’s Rotohiko project near Huntly delivered the country’s first utility-scale Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) Power Electronics is proud to support WEL Networks with the supply of inverters for their Solar and BESS projects.
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