Aurora Energy begins next stage of Waipori Line upgrade

The Waipori Line consists of three power lines – A, B and C – and supplies electricity to more than 10,000 customers across Mosgiel, East Taieri, Outram, and Berwick.

The project involves replacing existing aged poles and conductor with new modern equivalents which will halve the number of poles needed in the area. This improves safety for motorists as well as enhancing the visual appearance of the line. Work to install the poles will take place between mid to late February, and new lines will be strung by helicopter in March.

One planned power outage on Tuesday 3 March (with back up date of Wednesday 4 March) is required as part of this work. There are also a number of unrelated planned outages during the month for vegetation clearance, which affected customers have been notified of by their retailer (who they pay their bill to).

This work follows the successful completion of the first stage between Berwick and Outram in 2021. The current stage covers the section between the Outram zone substation (on Allanton Road) and State Highway 87.

Road closures

To complete the work safely, three temporary road closures will be needed along Outram-Mosgiel Road (State Highway 87) during March.

On Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 March, a single lane closure will be in place between 8:00am – 5:00pm, with stop/go traffic management operating.

On either Wednesday 25 or Thursday 26 March, both lanes will remain open, however temporary speed restrictions will be in place while work is underway.

There will be an increase in the number of vehicles in the area during this time as the work is completed. Aurora Energy asks that the public factors in additional travel time, and obey all traffic management signs and instructions. On these dates, a helicopter will also be operating in the area to support the work.

Recent unplanned outages

Aurora Energy acknowledges customers in the Outram area have experienced three unplanned power outages over the past couple of days.

After the power cut on the morning of 23 February our fault crews did an extensive patrol of the lines.

They identified a cracked insulator, and the outage later that evening was to replace it. Because of the short notice to replace the insulator, we couldn’t let affected customers know in time. However, the repair was done as late in the evening as possible to minimise inconvenience.  

The power cut on the morning of 24 February was due to a truck hitting a power pole.

Normally we can provide back-up power if there’s a fault, because there are a number of main lines feeding electricity in the area. Currently, two of these lines are out for planned upgrades. Whilst the remaining line has enough capacity for the full area at this time of year, but unfortunately the faults were on this line, at a time when no back up was available.

We know any power cut is inconvenient, no matter what caused it, and we thank customers for their patience.

This upgrade of the Waipori Line is designed to improve the long-term reliability and resilience of the network in this area.

ENDS