The 110kV power line from the Maungatapere grid exit point to the Kensington substation is the main supply route that delivers electricity to half of Northpower’s network, including Whangārei city. We launched a significant $4 million refurbishment programme on this line and the towers that carry it across the Western Hills, enhancing reliability, resilience and visual impact for the long term.

There were 36 towers along the line that received important mechanical and structural maintenance. The only towers not included in the work programme were the two most recently installed towers, including the monopole structure installed in 2024.

This marks the first time we’ve used Northpower Energy Services Tower Refurbishment team to undertake the specialised tower painting. These competent and well trained expert crews are coming up from Paraparaumu on the Kapiti Coast to work alongside our local crews.  

We are working with local landowners along the route where we need access to the towers and will make sure close neighbours to the work are well informed as to what is happening near them. 

We are working closely with the Whangārei District Council and Northland Regional Council to gain the necessary consents for this work, making sure it complies with all their regulations, and any environmental impact is minimised. 

The programme kicked off with line maintenance from 19 August to 28 August 2025, followed by tower refurbishment of the 36 towers starting on 27 August and running for 10 weeks.

The tower refurbishment work included washing and blasting the towers before applying new coats of zinc‑rich primer and vinyl‑based paint, with the final colour being ‘transmission grey’. This helped protect the steel structures from corrosion.

During this process, we used geo matting at the base of the tower to collect most of the residue. The small amount of residue not collected was safe as it was made up of naturally occurring compounds which were non‑toxic.

There was also work on the tower foundations, including removing bolts from the tower’s feet to allow for cleaning before the feet were replaced. This was done by Northpower’s own trained teams under supervision.