All at sea for Waiheke
Published 30 July 2020
When one of the main 33kV power cables that runs under the sea from mainland Auckland to Waiheke Island developed a fault, Northpower were on the job alongside New Zealand Diving and Salvage (NZDS) to get it sorted. The fault was located 200 metres offshore from Waiheke Island by an NZDS diver using an underwater camera.
An adjacent reef had caused damage to the cable and the challenge was on to undertake the repair.
We established a worksite on top of a barge, using marker buoys to identify other cables in the area and anchors to stabilise to ensure minimal movement while jointing was underway. Our team then removed the damaged cable from the seabed, replaced it with new marine cable and commenced the cable jointing work. The feeder was commissioned and livened within 6 days of starting the repairs.
This unique repair offered many challenges including working highly changeable wind and sea conditions; and co-ordinating and communicating with many partners including our customer Vector, NZDS, the Auckland Harbourmaster to protect the worksite and private property owners to gain access to the site from Waiheke.
