Powerco
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| Industry | Energy |
|---|---|
| Predecessor(s) | Taranaki Energy Limited |
| Founded | 1999 |
| Headquarters | New Plymouth, New Zealand |
| Area served | 39,000 sq km[1] |
| Services |
Electricity distribution Natural gas distribution |
| Website | www.powerco.co.nz |
Powerco is the second-largest gas and electricity company based in New Zealand.[1] The company is 58% owned by QIC Limited and 42% owned by Brookfield Infrastructure Partners.[2]
Powerco arose from the energy reforms in New Zealand in the 1990s. It can trace its history back to a number of local power boards and gas companies that operated throughout the North Island. It currently (as of May 2011) has nearly 420,000 home and business connections in the Coromandel, Western Bay of Planty, Hauraki Plains, North-East and South Waikato, Taranaki, Whanganui, Rangitikei, Manawatu and Wairarapa. The gas network includes Taranaki, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Wellington and Hawkes Bay.[1]
Key dates
- April 1993 - New Plymouth Energy (the electricity division of the New Plymouth District Council) merges with Taranaki Electricity (former Taranaki Electric Power Board) to become Taranaki Energy Limited.[3]
- 1994 - Taranaki Energy acquired the Hawera Gas Company.[3]
- October 1995 - Taranaki Energy Limited merges with Wanganui-based Powerco (the former Wanganui Electric Power Board) to become PowerCo Limited.[3]
- September 1997 - Powerco acquires Hawera based Egmont Electricity.[3]
- April 1998 - Government pass Electricity Industry Reform Act. PowerCo decided to become a "network business" (or lines company), and the following changes are made:
- Electricity Retail Business (customer base) sold to Genesis Power
- Gas Retail Business sold to Natural Gas Corporation
- Natural Gas Corporation's Taranaki gas networks sold to Powerco
- Powerco's five hydro power stations sold to TrustPower
- Powerco purchases Wairarapa Electricity's network business (formerly part of the Wairarapa Electric Power Board)
- August 2000 - Powerco merged with CentralPower (itself formed by the merger of CentralPower (for former Manawatu-Oroua Power Board) and ElectroPower, the former electricity division of Palmerston North City Council).[3]
- June 2001 - Powerco purchases the Hutt Valley and Porirua gas networks from AGL.[4]
- February 2002 - Powerco purchases the Electricity Assets of United Networks Limited in Tauranga, Eastern and Southern Waikato, Thames and Coromandel, plus gas networks in Wellington, Horowhenua, Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay.[5]
- 2004 - Powerco purchased Siemens Energy Services' Tauranga based contracting division
- November 2005 - Powerco sold its New Zealand field services contracting business to Tenix Alliance
- 2008 - Divestment of Powerco Australia Group (Tasmania gas distribution) to Babcock & Brown Infrastructure
Electricity network statistics
All data is as at or in the year to 31 March 2012 unless otherwise stated.[6]
| Parameter | Value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total network | Eastern network (Tauranga, Coromandel and South Waikato) | Western network (Taranaki and Whanganui) | Southern network (Manawatu and Wairarapa) | |
| Lines | ||||
| Total circuit length | 29,923 km (18,593 mi) | 12,087 km (7,511 mi) | 9,381 km (5,829 mi) | 8,455 km (5,254 mi) |
| 66 kV subtransmission | 152 km (94 mi) | 152 km (94 mi) | – | |
| 33 kV subtransmission | 1,451 km (902 mi) | 439 km (273 mi) | 1,011 km (628 mi) | |
| 22 kV distribution | 121 km (75 mi) | – | 121 km (75 mi) | |
| 11 kV distribution | 15,984 km (9,932 mi) | 5,766 km (3,583 mi) | 10,218 km (6,349 mi) | |
| 6.6 kV distribution | 423 km (263 mi) | – | 423 km (263 mi) | |
| Low voltage (400 V) distribution | 11,623 km (7,222 mi) | 5,663 km (3,519 mi) | 5,960 km (3,700 mi) | |
| Street lighting | 2,590 km (1,610 mi) | 1,264 km (785 mi) | 1,326 km (824 mi) | |
| Hot water pilots | 815 km (506 mi) | 188 km (117 mi) | 627 km (390 mi) | |
| Percentage of network underground | 25.4% | 36.5% | 17.9% | |
| Generation, substations and transformers | ||||
| Number of grid exit points supplying network | 25 | 8 | 12 | 5 |
| Number of embedded generators | 14 | 3 | 7 | 4 |
| Installed embedded generation capacity | 203.5 MW | 72 MW | 54 MW | 77.5 MW |
| Number of zone substations (66kV/33kV to 22/11/6.6kV) | 117 | 46 | 71 | |
| Number of distribution transformers (22/11/6.6kV to 400V) | 32,424 | 13,085 | 19,339 | |
| Consumption | ||||
| Customer connections | 319,181 | 145,618 | 82,935 | 90,628 |
| System maximum demand * | 710 MW | 365 MW | 220 MW | 199 MW |
| System electricity delivered | 4652 GWh | 2315 GWh | 1247 GWh | 1089 GWh |
| Load factor | 74.7% | 72.4% | 64.7% | 62.4% |
- The individual system maximum demand of the three networks do not add up to the total system maximum demand, as maximum demand in each region does not occur simultaneously.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Our Business". Powerco. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
- ↑ "Our People". Powerco. 28 July 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 http://web.archive.org/web/20010511053541/www.powerco.co.nz/about/story.htm
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20030227164137/www.powerco.co.nz/0,2480,FF.htm
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20030413170629/www.powerco.co.nz/0,3070,FF.htm
- ↑ "2012 Asset Management Plan". Powerco. April 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.
External links
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