Device beats power cuts

Constant power cuts in rural Manawatu have been neutralised by some state-of-the-art technology at a Kimbolton power station.

Energy company Powerco has installed a Swedish-designed Earth Fault Neutraliser at the Kimbolton substation, which operates about 390 kilometres of power lines.

The $260,000 neutraliser can keep power running if a single line goes down by redirecting current through the remaining two lines, and sending any residual current into an earth-based coil.

Previously when a single line fault occurred, it would knock out all three lines and cut power to the whole supply area.

Powerco performance engineer Ken Pattie said the power would still cut out if more than one line went down, but 75 percent of power outages were caused by single line faults.

There were about 10 single line power cuts since the neutraliser was commissioned in November.

"The locals wouldn't even have known," he said.

"The longest was about four hours but it could be forever and a day as long as there were no other faults on the line.

"It's an amazing piece of equipment."

The neutraliser also heightens safety during power cuts, he said.

"If a line comes down in a forest, there are often sparks and fire. With this equipment there's no fire and there are no sparks."

The neutraliser is the second machine of its kind to be introduced in New Zealand – the other is being tested in Christchurch by Orion New Zealand.

Powerco plans to install two more substations, at a cost of about $500,000, in areas that have been plagued by power cuts.

- © Fairfax NZ News