A major power outage in the Coromandel region, caused by plastic wrap becoming tangled in a transmission line, has ended after about four hours.
Plastic wrapped in the Coromandel transmission line. Photo: RNZ / Amy Williams
More than 26,000 households and businesses in the Coromandel region were affected from about 10am.
To remove the plastic safely, Transpower turned off the supply in the Matatoki, Thames, Whitianga, Tairua, Kerepehi and Coromandel areas.
"The plastic wrap's wrapped around both circuits on the transmission line and across and touching the tower as well, not a very good location at all," general manager of grid delivery Mark Ryall said.
"The risk is that it could catch on fire and if if fell to the ground it could cause further complications there, also we could lose power unexpectedly."
The wrap was from a market garden and Transpower was working with the owner to prevent a repeat, he said.
The part of the transmission line affected is just south of Kopu. The line runs power from the Hamilton sub-station to Kopu, where it connects to Powerco's network.