New lines strung by chopper this month

Waipā Networks reached a major project milestone over the weekend as new lines were connected and secured with the help and expertise of a skilled helicopter pilot and lines crew.

On Saturday, a chopper strung new lines at the new Hautapu Substation, located just off State Highway 1 in Cambridge.

The AS350 BA “Squirrel” chopper, piloted by Warrick Wright of Heli A1 helicopter services, moved with precision between towers and live powerlines as it pulled earth wire down the line route.

The work was completed over two weekends – one weekend for each transmission tower. Each transmission tower has two lines, and each line is about two kilometres long.

Meanwhile, remote lines crews were climbing towers along the way, ready to ‘catch’ the lines as they were pulled through by the helicopter. Ground crews were also on hand to help guide the cable safely.

Waipā Networks project delivery manager Dan Linton said the new Hautapu Substation was a crucial part of one of Waipā Networks most significant projects to date, and that the earth line stringing was one of many important tasks for the project.

“The project aims to enhance the region’s infrastructure and ensure a reliable and resilient power supply for the growing Waipā community,” he says.

“The Hautapu Substation project has been in the planning stages for over five years,” he says.

“We’re anticipating an additional 13,000 homes in Waipā by 2050, so we’ve been collaborating with the local community, iwi, and many other stakeholders to ensure that the new substation aligns with the environment, ecosystems and future needs of Waipā, including both residential and industrial growth,” Linton explains.

The existing Cambridge substation was commissioned in the 1950s, and the existing network currently operates at 11kV. The new Hautapu substation will triple the current capacity, providing much greater security for Waipā’s power supply and will introduce 33kV into our network.

The wider project, a collaboration between Transpower and Waipā Networks, has two parts. The first part is the development of a Transpower substation — the Hautapu GXP (Grid Exit Point). The second part is the development of the new Waipā Networks 33kV zone substation, known as the Hautapu Substation.

The helicopter operation saw the earth line upgrades of the new 220kV overhead transmission lines, which will connect to the new Hautapu GXP substation. This substation will then transform the voltage to 33kV, supplying the new Hautapu zone substation.

“A lot of planning and coordination is involved in preparing for a day like this. This work takes a skilled team with great communication to keep everyone safe. Thankfully, everything went seamlessly according to plan,” he says.

The new substation is expected to begin commissioning in April 2025.

Check out the video to see our team hard at work.