Transpower yesterday got permission to build 185km of power lines from the Waikato River at Whakamaru near Lake Taupo, to Auckland. The lines will cross about 300 properties, mostly farms.
Farmers have been protesting to stop these power lines for many years and are very disappointed. Some farmers are angry. They do not want overhead power lines on their property.
Transpower says that underground cables are too expensive. About 10km will be underground but the rest will be above ground. There will be 400 towers and some of the towers will be 70m high. Transpower will pay farmers $125 million in compensation for their land.
Auckland needs a better electricity supply. Earlier this year, some areas of Auckland lost power for a few hours. Three years ago, about half of Aucklanders lost power for 5 hours but the worst situation was in 1998 when downtown Auckland had no power for 5 weeks.
The new electricity supply will cost $824 million. Work will start this summer and will take three years.