Just over 100 extra power poles would be nailed in Alexandra this month in a direct response to the ''failure'' of the three poles since August, Aurora Energy chairman Steve Thompson said, after meeting Central Otago Mayor Tim Cadogan and Central Otago district councillors in Alexandra yesterday.
Another 360 would then be nailed in Cromwell, Clyde and Roxburgh in January ''as a precaution'', Mr Thompson said.
All of the poles being added to the programme were rated condition two or three and had not initially been scheduled for pole nailing or replacement, he said.
But the action was being taken because the three poles that had fallen in Alexandra were all rated condition two or three.
''We don't know what the problem is [with condition two and three poles] but what we're going to do is eliminate the risk immediately.''
Almost half of the extra Alexandra poles had been nailed in the past week, and the rest would be completed by the end of next week.
All the nailed Central Otago poles would be reassessed and added to Aurora's continuing pole replacement programme, which aimed to eventually reassess every pole in Otago every two years, Mr Thompson said.
The rest of Aurora's fast-track pole replacement programme - which was replacing or nailing all condition zero (red tagged) and one (orange tagged) poles - was scheduled for completion by December 31, he said.
The fast-track programme and the additional pole nailing combined should eliminate risk for the Alexandra community, Mr Thompson said.
When asked if he was confident no more poles would then fall down, he said: ''We have done everything that we can to remove the known risk on the Alexandra urban network.''
Mr Thompson said he and Aurora chief executive Grady Cameron had offered come to Alexandra to meet Mr Cadogan and Central Otago councillors to assure them they were doing ''everything humanly possible'' to safeguard the pole network
They met the councillors after their council meeting yesterday, and afterwards said they wanted to give the same assurances to the general public.
Mr Thompson said the investigation into the failed Eureka St pole was complete and showed ''an issue with inspection methodology'' that ''didn't take into account pole top loading''.
The inspection methodology had then immediately been changed.
The investigations into the fallen poles in Chicago and Ventry Sts were still being completed.
Mr Cadogan said during the meeting councillors had provided Mr Thompson and Mr Cameron with ''strong clarification as to the community's concerns'' about the dangers of falling poles.
''Aurora responded equally strongly that they're doing all that can be done,'' Mr Cadogan said.
