Cambridge Substation Project
We’re supporting and planning for regional growth and community development in Waipā.
Cambridge Substation Project at a glance
- New 33kV – our zone substations will connect to Transpower’s Grid Exit Point (GXP) substation in Hautapu.
- 13,200 new homes by 2050 – we’re planning for 13,200 new homes across the Waipā district.
- 50MW by 2025 – peak demand is expected to grow from 42MW to 50MW.
Regional growth
The future of Waipā is bright and Waipā Networks is proud to be part of it.
Over the next decade, our region is expected to grow by over 25,000 with about 14,000 more people calling Cambridge home.
Cambridge is arguably one of the most vibrant and thriving areas in New Zealand, based in the heart of the Waikato. Improvements in transportation and local infrastructure make Cambridge an attractive location for residential, commercial, and industrial development.
Investing in our infrastructure is critical to see our region continue to thrive. That’s why we have partnered with Transpower to develop a solution that will guarantee a reliable and resilient power supply for our network.
Last year (September 2023), we blessed the site where the major project would begin. Now, the project is well underway with the development of the Transpower substation, as well as a Waipā Networks 33kV zone substation. This will reinforce the supply into Cambridge and provide additional capacity to our wider network.
With this investment, we are confident that we will be able to keep pace with the region’s growth and provide our customers with a consistently dependable and high-quality power supply.
Check out our latest timelapse showing progress on-site over the past month.
Our latest project updates
July 2024
The team is still working hard and making great progress. There will be more updates coming soon.
June 2024
This month, we’ve been undertaking an ‘electrical tender’ process. We met with five potential contractors at the Hautapu site, along with Livingstone, who are our on-site civil engineers.
Our team gathers at our designated safe zone each morning for a quick pre-start safety meeting, ensuring everyone is informed and ready for a productive day.
We’ve set up metered and portable lifeguards for temporary buildings on-site. We also needed to provide safe and reliable electricity for all our tools and equipment.
This is a highly hazardous area, so the construction zone is equipped with a detailed hazard board to keep everyone safe and informed.
Here’s a shot of the switch room building foundation with footings, just before concrete was poured at the end of June.
This month, we also completed the transformer foundations and installed HV cable ducts. Here’s a view of the site just before pouring the concrete.
Here is the Transpower oil containment tank for safely containing transformer leaks and spills.
There’s a lot going on in this photo. From left to right, you can see the Transpower surge arrestor foundation pad, Transpower earth switch foundation pad and Transpower capacitor voltage transformers. In front, you can see Transpower’s A/frame gantry tower foundations, which will support the overhead 220,000-volt (220kV) Lines.
September 2023
Local mana whenua, Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā led the traditional site blessing.
As you can see, the team’s making great progress. We’ll be sure to keep you updated each month with more photos and videos on-site.
Concepts
The new substation resides next to the Waikato Expressway and is linked to Forrest Road, Cambridge.
The project will reinforce the security and reliability of electricity supply into Cambridge and the Waipā region.
Contact us
If you have any questions about this project please contact us:
Ph: 0800 800 769 (24hr)
Email: talk2us@waipanetworks.co.nz
OR
Head to our contact us page