Lodestone: Getting connected

Recently, our underground team at Alpine Energy has been working on a major piece of infrastructure to support the connection of Lodestone’s new solar farm to our network. It’s an exciting milestone in enabling more clean energy for South Canterbury, and a project our crews have poured incredible skill and care into.

To make the connection possible, we’ve been pulling three 33kV cables through more than 2km of ducting - a significant undertaking in both scale and precision. With each pull covering around 400 metres, the team completed nitrogen testing at every stage to ensure the integrity of the cable before our cable jointers stepped in to expertly connect each run.

These cables are larger than what we typically work with, and handling equipment of this size doesn’t come around often. That meant plenty of double and triple‑checking, careful planning, and a relentless focus on quality to ensure the installation met the highest standards.

This work isn’t just about laying cable - it’s about enabling more renewable generation, supporting regional growth, and strengthening our network for the future. We’re incredibly proud of the teamwork, expertise and commitment our people bring to projects like this, and the positive impact it creates for our community.

Exciting times ahead as we help bring more solar energy into South Canterbury’s energy mix.