Powerco investigating source of mysterious Whanganui power outages affecting nearly 1200 properties

Powerco is investigating what caused properties in Springvale to lose power twice in a week. Photo / Bevan Conley

Powerco contractors are investigating what caused two power outages two days apart which each affected more than 1100 homes in Springvale, Whanganui.

A Powerco spokesperson said the first major outage was on January 2 at 3.05pm, affecting 1198 properties.

Of those, 425 had their power restored within 27 minutes, while power was restored to all remaining properties in 49 minutes.

Two days later, an outage occurred at 6.59pm. It took an hour and 13 minutes for power to be restored to all of the 1199 homes affected, with 425 restored within 40 minutes.

The cause of both outages was unknown, although it was possible privately owned trees were responsible.

As part of a further investigation and resolution, Powerco said personnel were carrying out planned maintenance work on the lines.

Contractors will fly a drone to inspect the lines and surrounding trees to determine the cause and resolution of the issue.

A power line upgrade project for Heads Road and Raupo Street had been in the design stage before the outages. It will replace ageing assets and future-proof the lines.

Any new information from the investigation into the unexplained outages would contribute to the continued project.

Finn Williams is a multimedia journalist for the Whanganui Chronicle. He joined the Chronicle in early 2022 and regularly covers stories about business, events and emergencies. He also enjoys writing opinion columns on whatever interests him.