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| defunct =
| defunct =
| headquarters_city= [[New Plymouth]]
| headquarters_city= [[New Plymouth]]
| location_country = [[New Zealand]]
| location_country = [[New Plymouth|New Plymouth, New Zealand]]
| location =
| location =
| locations =
| locations =
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==Business==
==Business==

The New Zealand electricity reforms of the 1980s split the electricity industry broadly into four sections - generators, transmitters, distributors and retailers. Six main generator businesses ([[Meridian Energy]], [[Genesis Energy]], [[Contact Energy]], [[Mighty River Power]], [[Trustpower]] and [[Todd Energy]]) generate electricity and supply it to New Zealand's national grid, operated by [[Transpower New Zealand|Transpower]]. Transpower transmits high-voltage electricity to grid exit points (or [[Substation|substations]]) around New Zealand for transmission to households and businesses. The local distribution network (mostly consisting of underground wires and/or overhead wires) that transmit electricity to end-users like households and businesses are owned and operated by local distribution companies, mostly regionally based. <ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.powerco.co.nz/About-Us/Our-Business/NZ-Electricity-Market/| title=Our Business: New Zealand's Electricity Market| date=14 July 2015| publisher=Powerco}}</ref>
The New Zealand electricity reforms of the 1980s split the electricity industry broadly into four sections - generators, transmitters, distributors and retailers. Six main generator businesses ([[Meridian Energy]], [[Genesis Energy]], [[Contact Energy]], [[Mighty River Power]], [[Trustpower]] and [[Todd Energy]]) generate electricity and supply it to New Zealand's national grid, operated by [[Transpower New Zealand|Transpower]]. Transpower transmits high-voltage electricity to grid exit points (or [[Substation|substations]]) around New Zealand for transmission to households and businesses. The local distribution network (mostly consisting of underground wires and/or overhead wires) that transmit electricity to end-users like households and businesses are owned and operated by local distribution companies, mostly regionally based. <ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.powerco.co.nz/About-Us/Our-Business/NZ-Electricity-Market/| title=Our Business: New Zealand's Electricity Market| date=14 July 2015| publisher=Powerco}}</ref>


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Its electricity network currently supplies the following regions:
Its electricity network currently supplies the following regions:
- [[Taranaki]]
* [[Taranaki]]
- [[Manawatu-Wanganui]]
* [[Manawatu-Wanganui]]
- [[Rangitikei District|Rangitikei ]]
* [[Rangitikei District|Rangitikei ]]
- [[Wairarapa]]
* [[Wairarapa]]
- [[Tauranga ]] (and surrounding rural areas)
* [[Tauranga ]] (and surrounding rural areas)
- Eastern and southern [[Waikato]]
* Eastern and southern [[Waikato]]
- [[Thames-Coromandel District]]
* [[Thames-Coromandel District]]


Powerco's natural gas distribution network covers:
Powerco's natural gas distribution network covers:
- [[Taranaki]]
* [[Taranaki]]
- [[Manawatu District|Manawatu ]]
* [[Manawatu District|Manawatu ]]
- [[Palmerston North]]
* [[Palmerston North]]
- [[Horowhenua District]]
* [[Horowhenua District]]
- [[Hawke's Bay Region]]
*[[Hawke's Bay Region]]
- [[Hutt Valley]]
* [[Hutt Valley]]
- [[Porirua]]
* [[Porirua]]
⚫
* [[Wellington|Wellington City]]<ref>{{cite web| url=www.powerco.co.nz/About-Us/Our-Business/Our-Networks/| title=Our Business: Our Networks| date=14 July 2015| publisher=Powerco}}</ref>
- [[Wellington|Wellington City]]
⚫
<ref>{{cite web| url=www.powerco.co.nz/About-Us/Our-Business/Our-Networks/| title=Our Business: Our Networks| date=14 July 2015| publisher=Powerco}}</ref>


== Key dates ==
== Key dates ==

Revision as of 00:15, 14 July 2015

Powerco Limited
IndustryEnergy
PredecessorTaranaki Energy Limited
Founded1999
Headquarters
New Plymouth, New Zealand
Area served
39,000 sq km[1]
ServicesElectricity distribution
Natural gas distribution
OwnersQIC Limited (58%), AMP Limited (42%)
Number of employees
330 full-time equivalent
Websitewww.powerco.co.nz

Powerco is the second-largest gas and largest electricity distributor in New Zealand. It is one of only two companies to distribute both electricity and natural gas through their network (the other being Vector Limited). [1] Its network delivers electricity and gas to households around the North Island from the national electricity distribution network Transpower and the natural gas transmission system owned and operated by Vector Limited.

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. The company is 58% owned by QIC Limited - an investment firm owned by the Queensland Government - and 42% owned by AMP Limited.[2]

Business

The New Zealand electricity reforms of the 1980s split the electricity industry broadly into four sections - generators, transmitters, distributors and retailers. Six main generator businesses (Meridian Energy, Genesis Energy, Contact Energy, Mighty River Power, Trustpower and Todd Energy) generate electricity and supply it to New Zealand's national grid, operated by Transpower. Transpower transmits high-voltage electricity to grid exit points (or substations) around New Zealand for transmission to households and businesses. The local distribution network (mostly consisting of underground wires and/or overhead wires) that transmit electricity to end-users like households and businesses are owned and operated by local distribution companies, mostly regionally based. [3]

Powerco is a distributor whose business is completely separate from generation, national transmission and retail (selling delivered electricity to end-users). It operates a 30,000km local electricity distribution network supplying 320,000 households, industries and businesses from Transpower's national grid and a 6,000km natural gas distribution network supplying 102,000 households, industries and businesses from Vector's transmission system.

Its electricity network currently supplies the following regions:

Powerco's natural gas distribution network covers:

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.[5]
  • 1994 - Taranaki Energy acquired the Hawera Gas Company.[5]
  • October 1995 - Taranaki Energy Limited merges with Wanganui-based Powerco (the former Wanganui Electric Power Board) to become PowerCo Limited.[5]
  • September 1997 - Powerco acquires Hawera based Egmont Electricity.[5]
  • 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).[5]
  • June 2001 - Powerco purchases the Hutt Valley and Porirua gas networks from AGL.[6]
  • 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.[7]
  • 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.[8]

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. ^ a b "Our Business". Powerco. 19 August 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  2. ^ "Our People". Powerco. 14 July 2015.
  3. ^ "Our Business: New Zealand's Electricity Market". Powerco. 14 July 2015.
  4. ^ [www.powerco.co.nz/About-Us/Our-Business/Our-Networks/ "Our Business: Our Networks"]. Powerco. 14 July 2015. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  5. ^ a b c d e http://web.archive.org/web/20010511053541/www.powerco.co.nz/about/story.htm
  6. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030227164137/www.powerco.co.nz/0,2480,FF.htm
  7. ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030413170629/www.powerco.co.nz/0,3070,FF.htm
  8. ^ "2012 Asset Management Plan" (PDF). Powerco. April 2012. Retrieved 22 July 2012.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Powerco&oldid=671329509"