Making progress on reconnecting customers 1pm update

Powerco has every available crew working to reconnect the remaining 5,058 customers still without power following widespread outages caused by Cyclone Dovi.

Bay of Plenty is the most impacted area with 2,261 customers without power. There are also 966 customers without power in Taranaki, 958 in the Coromandel, Thames, Waihi and South Waikato areas combined, 414 in Whanganui, 334 in the Wairarapa and 125 in the Manawatū.

Network Operations Manager Scott Horniblow says Powerco has postponed its planned maintenance outages for today and tomorrow so that crews can focus on clearing debris and restoring power.

“Reconnecting customers continues to be our number one priority, particularly those who have been without power for some time now. We have every available crew working on the remaining faults which range from broken power poles, downed lines, trees in lines and broken hardware. The aftermath of the storm means there are still slips blocking roads, which slows down work and makes it difficult for them to access sites. For this reason, helicopters and drones are being used to assess and plan restoration activities.

“In areas where there are multiple faults, the complexity of repairs means that it’s taking much longer than expected to restore supply and we’re unable to provide an estimation of when power will be back on. We know that this is extremely frustrating for people and we’d like to thank our customers for their continued patience and assure them that we are doing everything we can to reconnect them as quickly and safely as possible.”

Powerco encourages customers who are without power to report the outage through its website at powerco.co.nz.