Construction of a new 30km subtransmission line between Network Waitaki's Kurow and Duntroon zone substations and a grid exit point (GXP) upgrade, started in January.
Network Waitaki senior network engineer Craig Conlan said installing the new subtransmission line ($5 million) and upgrading the GXP ($1 million) had been the company's ''largest capital project to date''.
Taller poles were installed along the existing line route between Kurow and Duntroon and a new 66kV circuit was installed above the existing 110kV wires.
The new line and GXP upgrade would provide greater security of power supply to the Kurow and Duntroon areas, Mr Conlan said.
''Transpower's 110kV transmission lines supplying Oamaru are constrained and do not have the capacity to meet our summer demands when dairy and irrigation loads are at peak,'' he said.
''This new subtransmission line, in conjunction with the grid exit point upgrade at Lake Waitaki, provides a cost-effective solution for our consumers, allowing load to be shifted from the Oamaru GXP to the Lake Waitaki GXP, enabling future load growth in the North Otago region.''
A team of 14 Network Waitaki staff were involved in the project, assisted at times by local contractors and Otago Power Services.
Network Waitaki staff will spend another four weeks on the project ''completing minor tasks''.
Mr Conlan thanked Kurow and Duntroon residents, and landowners along the route of the line, for their co-operation and understanding where disruptions had occurred.
