Another electricity retailer is eyeing Dunedin as part of a southern expansion that could take it as far south as Invercargill.
Pulse Energy has had a marketing team in the city and expects to assess a move before the end of this year.
It has been selling electricity in Central Otago and the Queenstown Lakes area since last year.
Sales and marketing manager Ashley Church said the company would establish itself in Dunedin before moving into Southland.
It had only just decided "for one reason or another" that the first half of the year was too early to move into the city.
"Obviously, Dunedin is an important market in terms of the overall electricity network in the region. The key is to make sure have all our ducks in a row," Mr Church said.
If confirmed, the move would make the retail arm of Pulse Utilities New Zealand Ltd the seventh company selling electricity in Dunedin.
The Auckland-based company started selling electricity in 2007.
Mr Church said it had more than 6000 New Zealand customers, and 2500 being processed, as of the start of the week.
It was acquiring new customers at a rate of about 350 a week and expected to have 61,000 New Zealand customers by March 2013.
It released its preliminary full year financial results this week.
It reported an unaudited loss of more than $7 million in the year to March 31, after a more than $5 million loss the previous year.
