Clyde businesses were up in arms about a seven-hour outage that cut power to 630 customers on Saturday, and residents in other areas in Central Otago - as well as elsewhere in Otago - will have power cuts in coming weeks while poles are being replaced.
More than 180 households will be without power in Wanaka today, there will be various outages in Alexandra from July 5-19, 485 customers will be affected by an outage in Earnscleugh on July 19, and there will be various power outages in Cromwell from July 17-21.
Mr Cadogan, who tried to get Aurora to change the Clyde outage date because the Saturday closure would impact negatively on so many businesses, said it was ``unfortunate'' to have such a major outage in winter, but the reality was that, ``no matter when the power is cut off, it is going to adversely affect someone''.
``To take the Clyde example, an outage outside of winter heavily impacts on the business community who depend on trade in the warmer months to get them through the winter, while an outage in winter is a major inconvenience to residents. It is unfortunate that we have found ourselves in this situation due to what appears to be a lack of ongoing maintenance of the Aurora network over the years.
``However, given that this problem has been identified, we have to deal with the catch-up that Aurora has promised between now and Christmas over the whole network as best we can.''
Aurora chief executive Grady Cameron said Aurora was halfway through its fast-track pole programme to remove the risk of 2910 power poles by December 2017.
``We understand the inconvenience that power outages cause, particularly in the winter months, and thank Otago residents for their patience during completion of these necessary works required for the safety and reliability of the electricity network.'
Mr Cadogan said it was also important to note the exemplary work of the lines crews ``in very trying conditions'' to get the power pole replacements done.
Both Dunstan Hospital in Clyde and the St Enoch's church lounge in Alexandra were open to provide somewhere ``comfy and warm'' for members of the public who were affected by Saturday's power outage in Clyde, and about six families and another six individuals used the combined facilities, hospital and church spokesmen
said.
