Enhancing Powerco’s network with fibre

Location: Coromandel Peninsula
Start date: December 2023
Completion date: March 2025
Project client: Powerco

Northpower / Project case studies / Enhancing Powerco’s network with fibre

We tackle complex, challenging works at scale

Our capability is extensive. With 14 locations across the North Island we have a wealth of expertise to draw on, to tackle complex, challenging works at scale.

Powerco undertook a significant fibre project on the Coromandel Peninsula to increase network resilience, provide greater visibility of power demands, improve fault detection and give the ability to remotely re-route power to meet their customer demands.

58315

person-hours invested

119

personnel delivering the project

164km

fibre cable installed

Coming together to work at scale

Powerco contracted us to install 164km of fibre optic cables on their existing electricity distribution network in the Coromandel region, spanning the area from Whitianga to Thames, via Tairua, Whangamatā, Waihī and Paeroa.

Fibre connectivity gives Powerco the ability to monitor and manage its network performance in this area in real time.

For this extensive project, 119 members of our field teams from Hamilton, Matamata, Tauranga, New Plymouth and Wellington, were operating across a sizeable area of the Powerco network.

Over the course of 58,315 person-hours more than 140km of overhead fibre cables, and 20km of underground fibre cables were installed.

Northpower specialists installing fibre on existing poles

Overcoming challenging landscapes

The fibre cables were installed on the existing electricity distribution pole structures and where required 139 new poles were installed along the route. The line route included challenging rural areas, which required the teams to traverse dense native bush, mudflats, and steep gullies.

Using helicopters and drones to do the heavy lifting

Creative solutions had to be devised to install fibre cables across the challenging terrain. A helicopter was used to fly a fibre cable between poles in the Waihī area, which was divided by dense forest and large areas of farmland.

The fibre cable was wound inside a cable drum suspended by a rope attached to the helicopter. As the helicopter travelled along the path of the distribution poles, the fibre cable was unwound slowly, ready for the lines teams below to attach the fibre to each pole.

Similarly, the lines team flew fibre cables over the Karangahake gorge. The proximity to the ground and State Highway 2 meant a helicopter could not be used, and a less invasive solution was devised. Drones operated by pilots from our transmission team, were used to pull out a draw wire, which was then flown across the gorge, and the fibre cable was pulled along the wire.

This was the first time we had used drones for helping to string cables in this manner. Thanks to the success of this trial, we have an additional tool to deliver faster results for our clients.

Strengthening network resilence

Our work for Powerco has helped strengthen the resilience of the network in the Coromandel region, supporting Powerco’s commitment to serve their customers’ needs for years to come.