COVID-19 Response
Last updated: 12:10pm, 12th Jan 2022
As an essential service, Northpower’s priority is to keep the power flowing to our customers and ensure the ongoing reliability of the network and the safety of our staff and community during this COVID-19 response. Find out more about what to expect during this time and how to contact us.
More InformationWhat we offer
Our multi-disciplined and experienced teams provide transmission and distribution maintenance and construction including:
- GSU, power and distribution transformers
- DC battery chargers
- Earthing and EPZ
- Protection scheme study solutions, relay configuration and control settings
- 400V to 33kV switchboards
- SCADA
- 11/22/33/110/220kV substations, cables and lines
- LV electrical services
- Tower and equipment refurbishment
- Corrosion protection and painting of related structures
- Vegetation management
- Asset inspection (including drone inspection and acoustic inspection services), condition assessment and diagnostic services
- Engineering design
- Constructability and design review services
- Landowner liaison and stakeholder engagement
- 24/7 faults and emergency response
- Fault finding and repairs
- Reactive maintenance
- Secondary fault response services
- Large-scale event response
- Capital works (smaller projects) - distribution and transmission assets, including sub-stations
- High value and/or high complexity substation and transmission line projects
- Fibre networks design and construction
Line maintenance
We provide core maintenance services for transmission networks on a range of different structures including pole structures, 6 arm steel lattice towers and bridge top towers.
These services take place across a wide range of terrain, property types and include liaison with multiple stakeholders.
Safety is a key consideration, and we implement a "safety by design" ethos which is incorporated into all design decisions.
We have robust quality assurance processes, including clearly defined roles and responsibilities amongst ourselves, along with our clients and sub-contractors.
Our line maintenance capabilities include:
- Lines maintenance services based on prioritising defects based on risk and proactive scheduling to align with other works
- Security patrols capturing structure, defects, vegetation defects, bridge culverts and track defects
- Scheduled condition assessment, including poles and towers. We heavily utilise Acoustic Inspection technology improving safety and providing high quality imaging of asset condition
- A responsive fault response service, with permanent stand-by rostered staff. This enables us to provide swift and safe response in line-down scenarios
- Vegetation management including removal of large trees and forestry corridors, to climbing and topping ornamental trees in urban settings
- PDM-L maintenance including attachment point replacement, damper replacement and baseplate refurbishment
- Specialist project works management
Our years of experience has led to a comprehensive skill set across our team. Some of these skills include:
- Overhead transmission structure, and pole engineering and design
- Using PLS CADD, calculate sag, tension and loads
- Execution of technical specifications, ensuring adherence to our client’s quality and safety policies and procedures
- On-site engineering assistance, including stringing, sagging with a Theodolite, and poles/towers
- Preparing and submitting engineering reports
Cable maintenance
Our cable maintenance capability includes specialist cable maintenance, repair and testing capability, and construction and undergrounding of cable assets.
We have a depth of experienced specialists including Contract and Maintenance Managers, Electrical Fitters, Permit Holders and Supervisors, Cable Stand-overs. Additionally, we have alliances with specialist contractor cable jointers.
Our cable maintenance capabilities include:
- Planned maintenance (including preventative and corrective maintenance)
- Underground maintenance, repair and testing work on 110kV and 220kV cables
- Unplanned maintenance and faults
- Project work
- Management of Transpower’s ‘BeforeUDig’ cable location service across New Zealand
- A purpose-built cable hauler and cable drum trailer for cable installation
- Specialist oil cable maintenance
- Operation of Transpower’s specialist HVAC test set
Tower & equipment refurbishment
Our tower painting services provide tower refurbishment, corrosion protection and painting services for transmission towers.
Northpower’s experienced teams have a highly innovative safety approach to tower maintenance, utilising our bespoke blast suits and blast remotes devices.
Our blast suits were constructed in partnership with Swazi, and are now over 60% lighter than the previous bulky, multi-layered suits that operators wore.
We have continued to innovate and refine over the years, resulting in less fatigue, better comfort and maneuverability. The latest iteration has seen the creation of a summer blast suit which is even lighter and provides better temperature control for teams working during the warmer months.
Our blast remotes are efficient wrist strapped remote to start and stop blast equipment while positioned up a transmission tower. This robust and lightweight solution that greatly reduces risk of blast injury and improves efficiency.
Our teams utilise a bespoke lightweight 5 tonne truck with custom mounted compressor for tower refurbishment. This improves safety and service delivery efficiency, reduces manual handling and environmental impact on landowner property.
We’re also proud to be introducing more environmentally friendly methods of protecting the land and surrounding environment from contaminants while carrying out our work. Our plastic coverings are now 100% recyclable and made in New Zealand. We are gradually rolling these out in coming projects.
Our tower & equipment refurbishment capabilities include:
- Tower refurbishment
- Corrosion protection
- Painting services for transmission towers