Keep town lights on
Keeping a town's lights on
- The Challenge
Trusty power to keep town lights on
- The Solution
Experienced planning and modular power across three sites
- The Impact
Schools, homes and businesses keep their lights on
Client:MainPower Ltd
Location:New Zealand
Sectors:Utilities
The Challenge
Trusty power to keep town lights on
Hanmer Springs is an idyllic town located in the south of New Zealand. With a population of just under 1000 people and a thriving town centre, this pocket of paradise on the southern island of the country is a great place for tourists as well as for those who live there.
But just like every town across the world, power kept everyday life ticking over. Without it the local school, vital medical services and people’s homes would be shrouded in darkness. No lights, no refrigeration for basic food requirements, no heating.
And with the local power network requiring a replacement of HV poles that serviced the town, citizens faced the very real possibility of zero power.
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The Solution
Experienced planning and modular power across three sites
Aggreko were contacted and together with MainPower the major hurdles of the project were outlined. Firstly, the amount of power needed to include contingencies so even with severe ramping, the town would have power. Then there was the sheer scale of ground to cover.
Our experts used both 1500 kVA and 1250 kVA generators – totalling 8 MW – which would allow normal life in the town to continue while the vital maintenance took place. Connecting them all would be more than 2.5km of cabling and HV stepup transformers that bridged to the local power network at 11 kV. And there were ample fuel cells in place so supply never ran dry.