Powerco is the largest dual-energy distribution company in

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by length, and is one of only two dual-energy (electricity and gas) distributors in the country. Its networks are located in the North Island of New Zealand. Powerco is owned by Australian companies

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and

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Business

Powerco is a dual-energy distributor. Its role is to bring the gas and electricity delivered by the transmission networks Transpower (for electricity) and Firstgas (for gas) from the gas fields and power stations where it's generated, through its distribution networks, to customers. Powerco owns and operates 28,935 km of electricity lines and cables, and 6,227 km of gas pipes. Over 900,000 customers are connected to its networks across 345,000 individual electricity connections and 112,000 individual gas connections. Its electricity network covers: * Coromandel to South Waikato * Bay of Plenty: Tauranga and Mount Maunganui * Taranaki * Whanganui and Rangitīkei * Manawatū * Wairarapa Its gas network covers: * Taranaki * Hawke's Bay * Manawatū * Porirua and Hutt Valley * Wellington

Key dates

* April 1993 - New Plymouth Energy (the electricity division of the New Plymouth District Council) merges with Taranaki Electricity (former Taranaki Electric Power Board) to become Taranaki Energy Limited. * 1994 - Taranaki Energy acquired the Hawera Gas Company. * October 1995 - Taranaki Energy Limited merges with Wanganui-based Powerco (the former Wanganui Electric Power Board) to become Powerco Limited. * September 1997 - Powerco acquires Hawera based Egmont Electricity. * April 1998 - Government pass Electricity Industry Reform Act. PowerCo decided to become a "network business" (or lines company), and the following changes are made: ** Electricity Retail Business (customer base) sold to Genesis Power ** Gas Retail Business sold to Natural Gas Corporation ** Natural Gas Corporation's Taranaki gas networks sold to Powerco ** Powerco's five hydro power stations sold to

TrustPower Mercury NZ Limited is a New Zealand electricity generation and multi-product utility retailer of electricity, gas, broadband and mobile telephone services. All the company's electricity generation is Renewable energy, renewable. Mercury has a p ...

** Powerco purchases Wairarapa Electricity's network business (formerly part of the Wairarapa Electric Power Board) * August 2000 - Powerco merged with CentralPower (itself formed by the merger of CentralPower (for former Manawatu-Oroua Power Board) and ElectroPower, the former electricity division of Palmerston North City Council). * June 2001 - Powerco purchases the Hutt Valley and Porirua gas networks from AGL. * February 2002 - Powerco purchases the electricity assets of United Networks Limited in

Tauranga Tauranga (, Māori language for "resting place," or "safe anchorage") is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty Region and the List of cities in New Zealand, fifth-most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of or roughly 3% of t ...

, Eastern and Southern Waikato, Thames and Coromandel, plus gas networks in Wellington, Horowhenua, Manawatū and Hawke's Bay. * 2004 - Powerco purchased Siemens Energy Services' Tauranga based contracting division * November 2005 - Powerco sold its New Zealand field services contracting business to Tenix Alliance * 2008 - Divestment of Powerco Australia Group (Tasmania gas distribution) to Babcock & Brown Infrastructure

Electricity network statistics

Gas network statistics

References

External links

* {{Electricity companies in New Zealand Electric power distribution network operators in New Zealand Oil and gas companies of New Zealand Energy companies established in 1999 New Zealand companies established in 1999