Helicopter help

Construction of the South Waikato National Grid Connection between Arapuni and Putāruru is well underway with Northpower taking advantage of continued good weather to pour concrete bases for the overhead section of the Connection that goes across private land.

With some of the farmland proving too hilly for concrete trucks to access, they’ve been using helicopters to deliver hoppers of concrete to pour into the bases – see the video below.

As the colder, wetter months set in, attention will turn to the more accessible parts of the Connection along road reserve.

The overhead poles will be bolted on in June once the bases have cured, and the conductor will be installed towards the end of the year.

Directional drilling for the cable sections of the Connection is also well underway, with work down Powerhouse Road where the Connection begins at Transpower’s Arapuni Substation continuing.