New Zealand electricity generator company
Unison Networks Limited (Unison) is an electricity distribution and fibre optic network company, based in Hastings, New Zealand.
Unison owns and manages the electricity lines network and the fibre optic network in the Hawke's Bay, Rotorua and Taupō regions. The service area covers 12,000 km2.[2] The Unison group also provides electrical, fibre, civil, and vegetation contracting services; manufactures electrical products; and operates an insurance company.[1]
Ownership
The company is 100% owned by the Hawke's Bay Power Consumers' Trust on behalf of electricity consumers in the Hawke's Bay area. The Trust is made up of five elected Trustees and operates under a Trust Deed.[3]
Distribution network
The Unison subtransmission and distribution network is supplied from the national grid via Transpower substations. Seven Transpower grid exit points (GXPs) supply the Unison network: Redclyffe, Fernhill, and Whakatu for Napier-Hastings; Wairakei for Taupo; and Rotorua, Owhata, and Takurenga for Rotorua.
Network statistics
Unison Networks Limited network statistics as of 31 March 2021[4]
| Parameter |
Value
|
| Napier-Hastings |
Rotorua & Taupō |
Total
|
| Total system length |
5,560 km |
3,786 km |
9,347 km
|
| 33 kV |
289 km |
208 km |
497 km
|
| 11 kV |
2,521 km |
2,126 km |
4,647 km
|
| Single wire earth return (SWER) |
– |
111 km |
111 km
|
| Low voltage (230/400 V) |
2,750 km |
1,341 km |
4,091 km
|
| Customer connections |
65,721 |
50,003 |
115,724
|
| System maximum demand |
213 MW |
127 MW |
339 MW
|
| Total energy delivered |
1,027 GWh |
682 GWh |
1,710 GWh
|
Network performance
Unison reported the normalised performance of the network for the 2014/15 year as follows:[1]
History
Early in the twentieth century, electricity generation and distribution was managed by local councils or municipal departments. An electricity network was established in Hastings in 1912, with a power house in Eastbourne Street. Following changes to national legislation, the Hawke's Bay Electric Power Board was formed in 1924.[5]
