Hautapu Substation Project
We’re supporting and planning for regional growth and community development in Waipā.
Partnering with Transpower, we’re developing a new 33kV zone station that will connect to Transpower’s Grid Exit Point (GXP) substation in Hautapu, guaranteeing a reliable and resilient power supply for years to come. With works starting in September 2023, the project is well underway and expected to be completed in mid-2025.
The 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.
Click HERE for Hautapu Substation Project FAQs
Hautapu infrastructure upgrades
Before we can switch on the new substation, some existing infrastructure in the Hautapu area needs to be upgraded to cater to the increased level of power and capacity. This includes upgrading switching gear and replacing overhead conductors and power poles with underground cables in areas surrounding the new substation.
These works will involve a number of temporary outages for customers in the Hautapu area from late 2024 until April 2025. Keep up to date with these outages below or on our Outages page HERE.
IMPORTANT: Outage dates and durations are subject to change and will be kept up to date as soon as possible.
| Outage date | Duration | Location |
| 24 February 2025 | 12 hours | 47 Hautapu Road |
| 27 February 2025 | 12 hours | Forrest Road, Racecourse Road |
| 2 March 2025 | 12 hours | Peake Road, Hautapu Road |
| 3 March 2025 | 8 hours | Banks Road, Te Awa River Ride |
| 12 March 2025 | 8 hours | Banks Road, Te Awa River Ride |
| 19 March 2025 | 12 hours | Hooker Road, Banks Road, Racecourse Road and Cambridge Road |
| 20 March 2025 | 12 hours | Hooker Road, Banks Road, Racecourse Road and Cambridge Road |
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 approximately 13,000 new homes set to be built in Cambridge.
Arguably one of the most vibrant and thriving areas in Aotearoa, Cambridge is in the heart of Waikato. Improvements in transportation and infrastructure make this town an attractive location for residential, commercial, and industrial development.
Investing in our infrastructure is critical for our region to 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.
We are confident as a result of this investment 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.
Our latest project updates
December 2024
In December, works continued at the substation site to install, assemble and test electrical equipment. We also began works to upgrade the existing infrastructure in the Hautapu area to cater to the increased level of power and capacity once the substation is complete.
Our 11kV ring main units and transformers were installed on the West side of our building ready for our future feeders to connect into.
Ventia continued onsite with earthing, bonding and wiring.
The 33kV Switchgear arrived in the country ready to be delivered to site in January.
Transpower continued with their Transformer assembly and other inside panel wiring tasks.
November 2024
A huge milestone was achieved in November with the 33-11kV transformer delivered and installed on site.
Here you can see the transformer arriving on site and being lifted into place.
October 2024
With the weather slowly starting to turn for the better, we began focusing on the inside of the new building that holds the switchgear and new control room.
Here you can see the FRZSS 11kV Switchgear installed in the new building.
Protection, Control and Comms Panels were also installed inside the new control room for the management and protection of our new zone substation.
September 2024
In September, we achieved a major project milestone as new lines were connected and secured with the help and expertise of a skilled helicopter pilot and lines crew – up the towers and on the ground.
Read the story HERE
July 2024
In July we achieved some great milestones with the project starting to take shape.
Livingstone Building are our onsite civil engineers worked closely with our project team undertaking quality inspections of the new build.
A 90-tonne crane arrived on site in preparation to assemble the walls of the Waipā zone substation switch room.
If you look past the crane, you will see the first of four Transpower gantry structures used for connecting the 220kV overhead conductors.
The walls arrived ready for the team to begin constructing the Waipā zone substation switch room. Each wall panel is joined and temporarily propped and supported until all walls have been installed, interlocked and connected safely together.
We laid the concrete for the basement floor beneath the 11kV room.
These images show the cylindrical steel piles and hold-down cages used to support the overhead 220kV lines that will supply the new substation.
As expected, we had some rainy, chilly and foggy mornings. This didn’t stop us from continuing the mahi on our switch room. The 200kV Transmission lines in the background are the Transpower Otahuhu-Whakamaru overhead transmission lines that will soon connect and supply the new substation.
September 2023
The project site was blessed and works began.
Local mana whenua, Ngāti Korokī-Kahukura and Ngāti Hauā led the traditional site blessing.
The team’s making great progress. We’ll be sure to keep you updated each month with more photos and videos of the mahi 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.
Hautapu Substation Project FAQs
Why are we building a new substation?
Over the next decade, our region is expected to grow by over 25,000 with about 14,000 more people calling Cambridge home.
Investing in our infrastructure is critical to see our region continue to thrive. Improvements in transportation and local infrastructure will help make Cambridge an attractive location for residential, commercial, and industrial development.
What does this mean for Cambridge and Waipā?
The new substation will guarantee a reliable and resilient power supply for our network.
When will it be finished?
Our substation is expected to be commissioned in April 2025.
Who is involved?
This is a joint partnership. The project includes the development of Transpower’s 220kV substation, as well as a Waipā Networks 33kV zone substation. Livingstone is our on-site civil engineer and other parties, such as Waipa’s electrical installation contractors will be engaged throughout the project. We are working closely with Ngāti Koroki Kahukura and Ngāti Hāua, Waipā District Council and neighbouring property owners.
Will there be power cuts during the project?
We are doing our best to minimise disruptions. Some outages will be required throughout the project but we will try to keep these at a minimum. If your property is impacted, you will receive prior notice from your retailer to help you prepare.
Where is it being built?
The new substation is next to the Waikato Expressway and is linked to Forrest Road, Cambridge.
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