Palmerston North Hospital to CBD electricity upgrade

We're upgrading the electricity supply in Palmerston North to maintain a secure and resilient supply of power for the hospital and to ensure there's capacity available as the city continues to grow. 

What’s involved? 

The project involves constructing a 2.7 km underground circuit from Palmerston North Regional Hospital to Main Street. 
 
The project is being completed in stages with disruption limited to small stretches of road at a time as machinery digs a trench for cabling. The road will be reinstated as the work progresses. 

Residents and businesses may experience intermittent construction-related noise, heavy vehicle movements, and general site activity. All works will be carried out following relevant safety, environmental, and traffic management standards.

The project involves partial road closures and qualified traffic management personnel will be present to actively manage vehicle and pedestrian movements and to ensure that any disruptions are minimised as far as reasonably practicable. Works may affect access to, or visibility of, property frontages.  

The project began on Monday 12 January 2026 and is expected to take six months. Work will occur from 7.30am to 5.30pm.

Who

Clarke Underground, in partnership with Scanpower, is completing the work on our behalf.
 

What you can do to help

Our contractors are doing their best to minimise disruption while providing a safe worksite for staff and public. To help our crews please ensure vehicles are parked outside the coned areas. Traffic management staff are available to help directly affected residents regarding their access. 
 

13 March update

Contractors are currently setup near 38 Albert Street heading towards Featherston Street. The estimated completion of this stretch of Albert Street is 27 March.