Power lines are heading underground in large parts of Beachlands on the Pohutukawa Coast.
The work is set to begin there this month on a major undergrounding project, says Entrust chair Denise Lee.
It’s another “significant undergrounding project” similar in scale to a recent project in St Heliers, she says.
“Entrust is committed to undergrounding because it makes a real difference to residents.
“We’re pleased this important project will soon be underway.”
The Beachlands undergrounding project consists of 16 streets, with a combined street length of 13.7 kilometres.
It’s a big project and will result in the removal of 20.5km of overhead electricity lines, says Lee.
“Entrust has an agreement with Vector that requires an average of $12.5 million to be invested in undergrounding and new technologies in the Entrust district of central, east and south Auckland every year.
“So far, more than 300 undergrounding projects have been completed.
“Around 72.3 per cent of power lines in communities all over central, east and south Auckland are now underground, as at March 2024,” she says.
Vector’s process for choosing where to underground is run independently of Entrust.
Beachlands was selected based on a number of factors, Lee says.
They include the condition of the lines and equipment in the area, the performance history in capacity and outages, the number of customers who will benefit, and the level of other utility works planned for each area.
All new residential developments since the late 1960s have been undergrounded at the time of construction.
It means parts of Auckland, such as in the south, have a significant proportion of the network underground already.
