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National Environmental Standards for Electricity Transmission Activities: project examples of application (5 of 7)

Activities that may make up a transmission activities project:

  1. Relocation of poles to enable roading development
  2. Access track and mid span earthworks
  3. Work on towers involving rivers
  4. Undergrounding
  5. Adding a circuit
  6. Tower foundation cleaning and painting
  7. Thermal uprating on a 220kV double-circuit transmission line

Adding a circuit

Project description: Transpower proposes to add a circuit to an existing single-circuit 220kV line in the Marlborough area.  The line was designed and built in the 1970s to take two circuits, but only one circuit was strung at the time of original construction.  The new circuit will require insulators to be installed on the existing cross-arms, along with three new 26mm-diameter conductors (one per phase), which will comprise the new circuit.

Main activities Status under NES
Adding a circuit (comprising three additional conductors) This activity is permitted by regulation 8, as the support structures for this transmission line were designed and built to take an additional circuit; and conditions in regulation 6(4) and (5), and regulation 10(2) to (8) are complied with:
  • the electric and magnetic field (EMF) has been modelled and complies with limits
  • the additional circuit is simplex (one conductor in each phase)
  • the diameter of the conductors is less than 50mm.
Adding insulators Adding insulators is covered by regulation 14 as insulators are by definition part of the support structure.  Altering the support structure is permitted.  None of the conditions apply, as the tower height and footprint will not be altered and the tower will not be moved.
Noise from machinery and implosive jointing Noise from machinery and implosive jointing is permitted by regulation 37 provided it meets the limits in NZS6803:1999 Acoustics Construction Noise.

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Last updated: 18 January 2010