WEL Networks

WEL Networks Limited is an electricity distribution company, serving the northern and central Waikato region of New Zealand.

[2] WEL is the sixth largest electricity distribution company in New Zealand, with 100,142 connections and 7,021 km (4,363 mi) of lines and underground cables.

[7] In 2020, WEL and Waipā Networks sold their interest in Ultra-fast Fibre to Japanese-owned First State Investments for $854 million.

[8] In 2022, the company announced the construction of New Zealand's first utility-scale battery energy storage system (BESS), to be located at Huntly.

[9] WEL's distribution area covers the Hamilton City and the majority of the Waikato District, including the towns of Ngāruawāhia, Huntly, Te Kauwhata and Raglan.

As a natural monopoly electricity lines business, WEL Networks is subject to regulation under the Commerce Act 1986.

[21] Hick Bros Civil and Spartan Construction won an award for outstanding technical and environmental planning.

The windfarm is linked to the national grid at Te Kowhai substation by about 17 km (11 mi) of 33 kV lines on 159[25] steel poles built on concrete pile foundations[26] and an underground cable from just west of Waitetuna Valley Rd to Cogswell Rd,[27] a total of about 25 km (16 mi).