Target figure for laying power lines

Press, 9 August 1985, Page 5

Target figure for laying power lines

The Municipal Electricity Department will investigate the possibilities of setting a target figure for placing 12km of underground power lines a year. Cr Rex Lester suggested the target at the Christchurch City Council’s airport and electricity committee meeting yesterday. The council should endeavour to convert as much of its electrical lines to underground reticulation as possible, he said.

The M.E.D.’s general manager, Mr Chris Laurie, reported to the committee that there had been many complaints on progress to underground reticulation. A petition by Beachville Road residents calling for underground electrical services for part of the road was presented to the committee yesterday.

There were other areas that had priority over Beachville Road because roadworks were planned in those areas, Mr Lauraie said.

Council policy in 1970 was not to provide for conversion of residential areas except where property owners met the full cost, he said.

Since 1983, more resources had been available for conversion work.

In 1982, the council ap-

proved the conversion of suitable suburban areas as resources permitted, the conversion of streets undergoing major reconstruction where the work could be included in an over-all scheme for the district, the conversion of major shopping areas, the conversion of areas reconstructed in the city, and in new subdivisions.

The M.E.D.’s chief engineer, Mr Hallett Mace, said the conversion of 3km of line cost about $1.4 million. About 10 of 38 gang weeks had been spent on conversion between April and June. This was about 26 per cent of gang time.

Mr Laurie said it was beyond M.E.D. resources to convert all those areas in which roadworks were planned. He listed seven areas where conversions would be done and another 20 where they could not.

If the council wanted the rate of conversion increased, more staff, equipment, and funds would be needed.

Of the $5 million spent on underground cabling in 1984-85, $4 million was on gang work, Mr Laurie said.

The minimum addition would be one further gang, making four. The extra gang would cost $247,000 to

establish and would require an extra annual expenditure of $1.3 million on labour and materials, and $lOO,OOO in salaries.

This $1.4 million total was about 1.8 per cent of electricity sales revenue, Mr Laurie said. The committee asked for a report on how the establishment of a fourth gang would increase the department’s cable-laying resources and on areas of priority. Sir Hamish Hay said it should be noted how much of the underground conversion being done was in the Waimairi area. The areas involved, including new subdivisions, will be covered in the report. Building The M.E.D. extension in Manchester Street is now 29 days behind schedule. The foreman on the job had resigned, Mr Laurie reported. Five days in the last 10 working days on the site had been lost. Councillors were concerned about the delays and asked that representatives of Paynter and Hamilton. Ltd, the firm building the extension, meet the committee next week.