Work has begun on removing two of the city’s old electrical towers whose lines span the Whanganui River.
The first to be removed and replaced was on the city side near the Bullocks yard on Taupō Quay, with work now starting on the Pūtiki tower.
Powerco said it was replacing the towers to ensure the electricity supply to Whanganui City remained safe, resilient and reliable well into the future. The towers carry high-voltage lines which power much of the Whanganui CBD including the hospital and council buildings.
They are being replaced like-for-like, with the lines they carry being upgraded at the same time.
Powerco had looked at several options, including refurbishing the existing towers, replacing the towers with monopoles, installing a cable underneath the river, installing cable on a bridge and moving the towers.
