Northpower Limited (Northpower) is an

electricity distribution Electric power distribution is the final stage in the delivery of electric power; it carries electricity from the transmission system to individual consumers. Distribution substations connect to the transmission system and lower the transmissio ...

company, based in Whangarei,

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Northpower owns and manages the electricity lines network in the Whangarei and Kaipara districts. The service area covers 5,700 km² and extends from Topuni in the south, to Bland Bay in the north. In addition to the residential and commercial customers in the region, the network also serves the New Zealand Refinery, Golden Bay Cement and the

Fonterra Fonterra Co-operative Group Limited is a New Zealand multinational publicly traded dairy co-operative owned by around 9,000 New Zealand farmers. The company is responsible for approximately 30% of the world's dairy exports and with revenue exce ...

dairy plant at

Kauri ''Agathis'', commonly known as kauri or dammara, is a genus of 22 species of evergreen tree. The genus is part of the ancient conifer family Araucariaceae, a group once widespread during the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, but now largely res ...

Ownership

The company is 100% owned by the Northpower Electric Power Trust on behalf of electricity consumers in the Whangarei and Kaipara districts. The Trust is governed by seven Trustees elected every three years at the same time as the local body elections. The Northpower Electric Power Trust (NEPT) Deed requires that options for the future ownership of shares in Northpower are reviewed every five years. The Trustees of the NEPT must consult with Northpower consumers to determine if the current Trust ownership structure is what consumers want, or if consumers would prefer a change. Following consultation with the people of the Kaipara and Whangarei Districts between February and June 2012, a decision was made at a public meeting of the Trust for Northpower to remain in consumer ownership.

Distribution network

The Northpower subtransmission and distribution network is connected to the national grid via five Transpower substations located at

Bream Bay Bream Bay is an embayment and area south-east of Whangārei, on the east coast of New Zealand. The bay runs from Bream Head, at the mouth of Whangārei Harbour, 22 kilometres south to the headland of Bream Tail, east of Langs Beach and north ...

(close to the

Marsden Point Oil Refinery Marsden Point Oil Refinery is a 96,000 BPD refinery located at Marsden Point, Whangarei, Northland, New Zealand. It is the only oil refinery in New Zealand, and is operated by Refining NZ. The point was named after Samuel Marsden. The regional sur ...

Dargaville Dargaville ( mi, Takiwira) is a town located in the North Island of New Zealand. It is situated on the bank of the Northern Wairoa River in the Kaipara District of the Northland region. The town is located 55 kilometres southwest of Whangāre ...

, Maungatapere,

Maungaturoto Maungaturoto is a small town in the Northland Region of New Zealand. The township is located close to the Otamatea River, an estuarial arm of the Kaipara Harbour 25 kilometres north of Wellsford and 45 kilometres south of Whangārei. The New ...

and the suburb of Kensington in Whangarei.

Network statistics

* for the year ended 31 March 2011

Network performance

The Northpower reported the performance of the network for the 2010/11 year as follows: The reliability of the Northpower network is around the middle of the range of performance of the distribution companies reporting to the Commerce Commission under Information Disclosure requirements.

History

The history of Northpower dates back to 1920 when the Northern Wairoa Hydro Electric Power Board was formed. The main predecessor organisation was the North Auckland Electric Power Board which commenced operations in 1929. The trading name 'Northpower' was adopted from 1 May 1990. In 1993, Northpower purchased the small hydro-electric power station at Wairua Falls, near Titoki. The Electricity Industry Reform Act was passed in 1998, and this required that all electricity companies be split into either the lines (network) business or the supply business (generating and/or selling electricity) by 1 April 1999. The energy retail business of Northpower was sold to ECNZ with effect from 1 November 1998, and renamed Northpower Energy. The name was later changed to Meridian Energy (1999).

Wairua Falls hydro scheme

Northpower owns and operates the Wairua power station owned near Titoki. This station was built in the early 1900s with the first of the generators installed in 1916. The original machines are still operating. The water canal intake was upgraded in 2009. New weir flap gates have also been installed. The power station's aging control system has also been replaced. A 4th generator was installed at the site in 2007. The typical annual energy output from the station is 22 GWh.

Subsidiaries

* Northpower Contracting * Northpower Fibre

References

External links

Northpower website
{{Electricity companies in New Zealand Electric power distribution network operators in New Zealand Northland Region Telecommunications companies of New Zealand New Zealand companies established in 1920 Energy companies established in 1920