A Contact Energy spokesman said the company hopes to resume generation by the end of next month, saying of the shutdown, "It's not entirely uncommon — we've had cracks in welds before and given the time of the year we thought we'd fix it now."
Power use in New Zealand during January drops markedly, as it falls during the Southern Hemisphere's summer, although the increased use of heat pumps to cool homes has increased consumption on very hot summer days. The Contact Energy spokesman added that while the company could bring its 400 megawatt Taranaki combined cycle station online to cope with possible electrical shortages, "there's no doubt you'd prefer to have your plant available."