Power outages that put the public at risk in Dunedin have prompted an apology from telecommunications company Chorus.
It was confirmed yesterday contractors working for Chorus to install fibre broadband under Dunedin's streets had been responsible for two power outages, after striking high-voltage underground cables.
The most recent incident occurred on May 14, when a contractor using a mechanical excavator to dig into York Pl struck a power cable, cutting power to 1524 consumers in central Dunedin for more than an hour.
That followed an earlier incident on April 30, when another contractor struck a power cable near Arana Hall, cutting power to 726 customers, including the University of Otago campus and part of the central business district, for an hour.
Delta asset management general manager Adam Fletcher said the incidents raised public safety concerns because of the potential consequences of a loss of power supply for some users.
"There is also a potential risk to the public when power is restored, from not treating electrical appliances as live.
"Safety is paramount. The latest cable strikes have significantly raised our concerns for the safety of the public, contractors and for the security of electrical supply to consumers connected to the network," he said.
The company released a joint statement with Chorus yesterday acknowledging the mistakes, and Chorus general manager of network build Chris Dyhrberg apologised for the disruption caused.
"We need to do better."
The cost of the damage to the cables was yet to be determined, and Delta and Chorus both declined yesterday to name the contractor involved in the mishaps.
Chorus spokesman Robin Kelly told the Otago Daily Times Chorus "categorically" took responsibility for the errors, even though the contractor would pay for the damage.
Chorus had processes in place to confirm the location of underground cables as part of any project, but it appeared there "may have been an issue" with those processes.
Delta and Chorus would work with the contractor, offering extra training and risk assessments, to try to prevent a repeat.
Chorus' contractors have been working since February to install a new fibre broadband network under Dunedin's streets, as part of the $1.5 billion rollout of ultrafast broadband across New Zealand over the next decade.
The damaged lines are owned by Aurora Energy Ltd, a Dunedin City Council-controlled organisation, but maintained by another council-controlled organisation, Delta.
