PowerNet is warning thousands of people in Southland and South Otago may be without power until this time next week, after severe winds lashed the regions on Thursday.

Chief Executive Paul Blue said Friday’s focus had been on understanding the extent of the damage, before repairs could truly begin.

“Essentially the backbone of our Southland and south Otago electricity networks are broken – and we have to repair the backbone before we can begin to stand them back up.”

Damage was caused by broken poles, trees coming down on lines, or flying debris from man-made structures, Mr Blue said.

“In some cases the wind gusts were so strong they simply blew our poles and lines over.”

“The sheer scale of this damage means we will be working throughout the weekend, and well into next week before all customers have power back on. We are also working with neighbouring lines businesses and contractors to support our teams with the network restoration,” he said.

PowerNet has had some success today in restoring electricity to small parts of our networks, with our focus on wastewater, water, and healthcare services.

Some of the challenges faced by the PowerNet team included access to fuel, telecommunications networks, and road closures.

“We’re very grateful for the kindness of our communities throughout our regions, and for the patience and understanding of most of our customers. We know that the next several days will be tough for many of you still without power, as it will be for our crews who will be working hard to get you reconnected.”

By the Numbers as at 4pm 24 October
The Power Company Limited network (Southland)
Total Customers: 38,200
Customers without power: 17,800
Usual Demand on the network: 124 megawatts
Current demand on the network: 36 megawatts

OtagoNet network (South Otago)
Total Customers: 15,700
Customers without power: 9,500
Usual demand on the network: 64 megawatts
Current demand on the network: 34 megawatts

Please note these numbers will change as we undertake repairs and identify faults on the network.