Ten percent of 678 "priority" poles have been dealt with, and the rest will be replaced by the end of the year, Delta marketing and communications manager Gary Johnson says.
All "condition-zero" poles in the Queenstown, Arrowtown and Wanaka central business districts had already been replaced, Mr Johnson said.
Condition zero poles are the worst-rated poles in Aurora Energy’s network.
Physical work on the company’s "Fast Track" pole programme began last December. It is being carried out by main contractor Delta, as well as external crews.
Queenstown Lakes Mayor Jim Boult said ever since "dialogue" between his council and Delta late last year, the company was "doing exactly what they said they’d do" by replacing priority poles throughout the district.
Delta’s communication with the council had "markedly improved" since last year.
Aurora has been under pressure — and the subject of investigations by the Commerce Commission, Worksafe and Dunedin City Holdings Ltd — since former Delta employee Richard Healey raised concerns about the state of the company’s "neglected and decaying" network six months ago.
An 11,000-volt line from a red-tagged pole in Kelvin Heights came down near an access track on to a public walkway last November, sparking a vegetation fire and cutting power to about 1000 customers.
Four months earlier, a pole beside Morven Ferry Rd at Arrow Junction fell only eight days after twice being climbed by Delta staff. The pole, which brought down 33kV and 11kV lines, was not tagged as condition zero.
Aurora announced on Monday it would not achieve a target of replacing the 1181 condition-zero poles across its network by the end of this month.
It is now aiming to replace 2910 priority poles by the end of the year.
● Power was cut to 113 Queenstown customers in Frankton Rd and Park, Hobart, Sydney and Brisbane Sts yesterday, from 10am to 3pm, while lines crews worked on poles in the area.
