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Eddies of water from rivers in Golden and Tasman Bay reach more than 100 kilometres out into higher Cook Strait.
Image: NIWA
Transpower is speaking with the energy sector to assess need for an undersea high voltage direct existing link (HVDC) to link the nationwide grid in between the North and South Islands.
The Commerce Commission last month authorized Transpower’s near $400-million interim proposition to reinforce the nationwide electrical power grid.
This round of assessment on the long-lasting future of the cable televisions led another round about the $103m interim upgrade to enhance the Cook Strait undersea link.
Power clients will ultimately get the total interim $392.9 m expense to update the nationwide grid, though it will depend on the Electricity Authority to choose who spends for what.
Transpower executive basic supervisor grid advancement John Clarke stated the existing Cook Strait cable televisions would reach completion of their life in the early 2030s, so it was “prompt” to think about future possibilities.
He stated this round of assessment had to do with the long-lasting strategy to change the Cook Strait cable televisions, which were reaching completion of their life, and would cost in the order of $400m to change.
“We are preparing facilities now for a future where electrical power powers more of our transportation and more of our market in New Zealand,” he stated.
“By 2050, we anticipate electrical energy usage to have actually increased nearly 70 percent compared to 2020, and we require to consider what function the HVDC link will play because future.”
He stated the assessment required to occur now, to offer Transpower adequate time to order and change the cabling, before the existing undersea cable televisions stop working.
How it works
The cable televisions link the North and South Islands’ electrical power systems in between Benmore in the South Island and Haywards in the North Island,
Transpower stated an updated HVDC would bring renewably produced electrical energy northwards from the south and support group stability into the future.