10 | REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Aurora Energy T T Richard Loader Investment in network paying off Aurora Eneregy supplies electricity to over 93,500 homes, farms, small businesses and large commercial operations throughout Dunedin, Central Otago, Wānaka and Queenstown Lakes. “Our role now is to ensure the network can provide whatever services customers want, and that is changing. Because we’re investing in long life assets, we have to make intergenerational decisions around how the network will be used.” Richard Fletcher T T to page 12 Aurora Energy is New Zealand’s seventh largest electricity network by customer connections, supplying electricity to over 93,500 homes, farms, small businesses and large commercial operations throughout Dunedin, Central Otago, Wānaka and Queenstown Lakes. A Council Controlled Organisation, owned by Dunedin City Council, in its present form Aurora Energy was established in 2017 following a demerger from Delta, the contracting side of the business. Chief Executive Dr Richard Fletcher says up until 2017 there had been a significant period of under-investment in the network, and that was one of the key reasons for separating out the business. “Since then, we have step-changed our investment considerably, investing $60 million to $70 million a year on the network, where previously it was $15 million to $20 million a year. “For the first three years in operation, we were addressing the backlog in under-investment and restoring the health of the assets, which we are now largely on top of. “There are significant investments being undertaken to upgrade the network to increase capacity to meet future demand, particularly in the Queenstown, Wānaka and Upper Clutha areas. “Our role now is to ensure the network can provide whatever services customers want, and that is changing. Because we’re investing in long life assets, we have to make intergenerational decisions around how the network will be used.” Industry awards provide the perfect opportunity for businesses to showcase their work within communities, and the extraordinary efforts made by their team members to bring extraordinary projects to life. Last year Aurora Energy won two of the eight awards available at the highly prestigious New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards, which recognises excellence and achievement across the energy sector. “We won the Network Initiative of the Year Award and the Community Initiative of the Year Award, says Richard. “Winning those awards was gratifying for the Aurora Energy team after three or four years of really hard work. We were also shortlisted for the Infrastructure New Zealand Community Outcomes Award.” Both awards were for Aurora Energy’s work on the Dunedin Harbour Crossing upgrade project. Six old lattice towers and overhead lines between Port Chalmers and Portobello were end-of-life and there was a choice between like-for-like replacement, or a more aesthetically pleasing, environmentally friendly and enduring solution. “The towers and lines were the first thing that visitors arriving by cruise ship saw on entering the harbour, and they were also a danger to wildlife. “So, we chose to remove the towers and overhead lines, and replace them with submarine cables. But it was the way we engaged with the community that I was really pleased about. “We engaged with the wider community including local iwi, local businesses, local community groups, and the Dunedin City Council and brought everyone along with what we were doing, seeking and adding their input. “The support that we got was gratifying, even though there were times when we disrupted power supply while doing some of the work. “So we share these awards with the commu-
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