Alpine Energy

Snow, rain and freezing temperatures are on the way for inland South Canterbury. Now's the time to get prepared, especially if you live, work or travel in our rural and high-country areas.

MetService has issued a Heavy Rain Watch from 1pm to 6pm today 26 August for the Canterbury headwaters, followed by a Heavy Snow Watch from 6pm today 26 August until 9am Friday 28 August for inland South Canterbury and the Canterbury High Country. There is a high chance the snow watch could be upgraded to a warning.

What to expect

Heavy rain is expected to turn to snow this evening, with the worst conditions forecast from Thursday into Friday morning. Snow may fall as low as 400m in some areas.

Heavy snow, strong winds and falling trees can impact the electricity network and may cause power outages, particularly in rural, high-country and exposed areas. If conditions are unsafe, restoration times may be longer while we work to restore power safely.

Our crews are ready, and we’re closing monitoring conditions for any updates or escalations.

Here’s how you can prepare:

✅️ Clear drains and gutters

✅️ Charge phones, power banks, and keep a torch and battery radio handy

✅️ Have enough food, water, blankets, and essential medications to last through a potential outage

✅️ Plan your travel in the region, drive carefully and avoid low-lying areas

✅️ Check your medical back up plans if you rely on electricity for critical medical equipment.

✅️ If you’re on a farm, check generators, fuel suppliers, water systems and plans for livestock care.

⚡️Safety first, always: Stay clear of fallen power lines and always treat them as live. To report trees or lines down, call us on 0800 661 177.

Stay informed:

🌧️Weather updates: https://www.metservice.com/warnings/home

🔌Power outages on our network: https://www.alpineenergy.co.nz/customers/outages

🧣Be prepared: https://www.alpineenergy.co.nz/.../outage-preparedness

Stay safe, South Canterbury, and take a few minutes now to get prepared before the weather arrives. ❄️⚡🌧️

**Update 6.31pm. Power has been restored. Thanks team!**

An UNPLANNED power outage has occurred.

Date and time: Tuesday 25 August 1:16pm
Estimated restoration time: Tuesday 25 August 6.30pm

Our crews are working hard to restore power to you.

Affected areas
Orton
Rangitata Island

We are committed to restoring your power as quickly and as safely as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience. Updates will be posted here and on our website.

Please treat all wires as LIVE, as normal power supply could be restored at any time.

Thank you for your patience.

Planned Power Outage | Pleasant Point & Surrounding Areas

A planned power outage will take place tonight from 11.00 pm Monday 24 August to 3.00 am Tuesday 25 August (approximately four hours).

Customers affected by the outage should have already received direct notification. It is important to note; we use the contact details provided to us by your electricity retailer (the company you pay your power bill to).

As an additional heads up, we're sharing this here too.

The outage is required to allow work near the Timaru Substation, where we are undergrounding a section of power lines to improve network reliability and resilience. Because this work affects the network supplying Pleasant Point, a temporary outage is needed to complete it safely.

We understand power outages can be inconvenient and have scheduled this work overnight to help minimise disruption.

If you have any questions, please contact us on 0800 66 11 77, or email [email protected]

**Update 8.13pm. Power has been restored. Thanks team!**

An UNPLANNED power outage has occurred.

Date and time: Sunday 23 August 12.56pm

Estimated restoration time: TBC

Our crews are working hard to restore power to you.

Affected areas
Waihao Downs
Waihao Forks - Power restored
Waihaorunga

We are committed to restoring your power as quickly and as safely as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience. Updates will be posted here and on our website.

Please treat all wires as LIVE, as normal power supply could be restored at any time.

Thank you for your patience.

**Update 1.51am (Saturday). Power has been restored. Thanks team!**

An UNPLANNED power outage has occurred.

Date and time: Friday 21 August 9.01pm

Estimated restoration time: TBC

Our crews are working hard to restore power to you.

Affected areas
Temuka

We are committed to restoring your power as quickly and as safely as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience. Updates will be posted here and on our website.

Please treat all wires as LIVE, as normal power supply could be restored at any time.

Thank you for your patience.

⚡ We've noticed more questions about planned outages recently, so we thought we'd answer some of the most common ones we hear from our community.

We know planned outages can be frustrating, especially in winter. But just like servicing your vehicle helps prevent breakdowns, planned outages allow us to carry out essential work before small issues become bigger problems.

They help us:

✅ Reduce unplanned outages
✅ Improve reliability
✅ Replace ageing equipment before it fails
✅ Restore power faster when faults occur
✅ Keep our crews and contractors safe while they work

Why do they happen in winter?

Electricity demand doesn't pause for winter, and neither does the work needed to keep the network running safely and reliably. We continue maintaining and upgrading the network year-round to help prevent larger unplanned outages when our communities need power most.

How will I know if I'm affected?

If your property is affected, we'll contact you directly with at least 10 days' notice where possible. This will be emailed or popped into your letterbox, if you don’t have email.

How do we get your contact details?

We get customer contact details from your electricity retailer (the company you pay your power bill to), so please make sure your phone number and email address are up to date with them to ensure you receive notifications. If you rent, and the power account is not in your name, ask your landlord to pass on our planned outage notifications to you.



Will my neighbours be off too?

Not necessarily. Different homes and businesses can be supplied by different parts of the network, so if you receive a planned outage notification, your neighbours may not.

Need backup power?

If you rely on electricity for essential equipment or are considering using a generator during outages, make sure you understand your options and use generators safely. In most instances, we only supply generation to essential services like healthcare and emergency services, early childcare, elderly care facilities, and other essential community service providers.

🔗 Prepare for an outage:
https://www.alpineenergy.co.nz/customers/outages/outage-preparedness

🔗 All you need to do about generation eligibility, hiring, or buying:
https://www.alpineenergy.co.nz/safety/using-generators-safely

💙 Thank you for your understanding. Every planned outage helps us maintain and improve the network that connects our communities, helping keep power reliable when it's needed most.

What a night for Team Alpine!

We may not have taken out the Wellbeing Award this year, but we're incredibly proud to have been recognised as finalists at the 2026 New Zealand Energy Excellence Awards for our FullyCharged wellbeing programme.

In our industry, wellbeing isn't a nice-to-have. The work we do is critical to keeping power flowing across South Canterbury, and that starts with people who are healthy, supported, and fit for work every day.

FullyCharged was built with our people, not for them. Through honest feedback, shared ideas, and a willingness to challenge ourselves, we've created a wellbeing programme that's helped strengthen psychological safety, improve access to support, and make wellbeing a more visible part of everyday life at Alpine.

Congratulations to all the finalists for the important work you're doing across the energy sector.

Our Chief People & Performance Officer, Susan Lowe, said: "This award recognises something that's bigger than a programme. It reflects a genuine commitment from our people, leaders, and employee representatives to create a workplace where wellbeing and safety go hand in hand. We're proud of how far we've come, and even more excited about where we're heading."

A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to FullyCharged. This achievement belongs to all of you. ⚡

Update: As at 6.30pm, power has been restored. Thanks team!

An UNPLANNED power outage has occurred.

Date and time: Saturday 15 August 2:18pm

Estimated restoration time: TBC

Our crews are currently working hard to restore power to you.

Affected Areas:
Hannaton Road

We are committed to restoring your power as quickly and as safely as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience. Updates will be posted here and on our website.

Please treat all wires as LIVE, as normal power supply could be restored at any time.

Thank you for your patience.

Update as at 10:38pm: Power has been restored. Great work team!

An UNPLANNED power outage has occurred.

Date and time: Friday 14 August 9:00pm

Estimated restoration time: TBC

Our crews are currently working hard to restore power to you.

Affected Areas:
Clandeboye

We are committed to restoring your power as quickly and as safely as possible. We apologise for any inconvenience. Updates will be posted here and on our website.

Please treat all wires as LIVE, as normal power supply could be restored at any time.

Thank you for your patience.

What a fantastic day hosting students from Craighead Diocesan School, Timaru NZ and Roncalli College, Timaru as part of ShadowTech26.

Hosted by our Digital team, the day included a behind-the-scenes tour of Alpine Energy, the opportunity to hear from our CIO, and an engaging panel featuring team members working across AI and innovation, data science, GIS, business analysis, customer and external engagement, network operations, technology leadership and safety.

The energy in the room was incredible, with thoughtful questions, genuine curiosity, and plenty of future talent on display.

"Technology is ultimately about people. Seeing these young women ask questions, challenge ideas and imagine where a career in tech could take them was genuinely inspiring." Jeremy Tomkinson, Head of Technology.

A big thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success. We're proud to support initiatives that show there's more to technology than coding and help inspire the next generation of women in tech. 💙