09 Dec 2025
The reliability and resilience of electricity infrastructure in Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti is set to increase further with the Commerce Commission today approving Transpower’s plans to invest $47 million to complete its rebuild of Redclyffe substation.
Transpower’s proposal to rebuild the substation’s main 220kV switchyard will safeguard the region’s electricity supply by raising essential equipment out of the reach of potential flood waters.
Transpower’s Executive General Manager Grid Development Matt Webb said this investment is a key part of Transpower’s work to rebuild Redclyffe substation after it was flooded during Cyclone Gabrielle in February 2023.
“We’ve already made a number of upgrades to Redclyffe substation as part of our commitment to local communities to make the region’s power supply more resilient to extreme weather and seismic events,” he said.
“This investment will complete that work to ensure the whole site is resilient to a 1-in-450-year flooding event and much more resilient to earthquakes.”
Earlier work at Redclyffe substation to improve security of supply in the region since Cyclone Gabrielle includes interim upgrades to the 110 kV switchyard in 2023 to make the equipment more resilient to flooding. An interim 220 kV control room was also installed above the flood level.
Earlier this year, an additional larger 220 kV/110 kV interconnecting transformer was installed, allowing almost double the amount of electricity to be imported from outside the region to ensure that there is enough electricity to power local communities as they continue to grow.
“We’ve engaged extensively with local communities on our plans for the region alongside our local lines company partners Unison Networks and Firstlight Network,” Mr Webb said.
“We believe this is the most cost-effective approach to rebuild the substation while allowing for growing demand for electricity in the region into the future. The Commerce Commission has rigorously tested our plans with the long-term interests of local communities in mind, and will now consult on them.”
Transpower expects to start the work in October 2026 and finish by December 2027. Mr Webb said the work can be completed without any impact to local electricity supply.
More information about the work at Redclyffe can be found here.
For more information please email Transpower’s Communications team at [email protected] or call 021 195 8613.