In the heart of Hawke’s Bay, Unison is entering the final stages of a major project that most residents will never notice – yet it’s critical to how we power homes, businesses, and essential services.
The construction of the new Camberley Substation in Hastings is a quiet, powerful step toward a sustainable energy future, strengthening the region’s electricity network, ensuring a resilient power supply and enabling growth.
Substations like Camberley are essential to how Unison supplies electricity to the community. They transform and regulate the power to ensure it can be safely delivered to homes and businesses in the area. Substations also help control and protect the flow of electricity across the network, keeping it stable and reliable for everyone.
Traditionally, substations were built with limited consideration for environmental impact. Today, Unison is taking a proactive approach, working to make substations more sustainable.
Why Camberley Substation?
The decision to rebuild the Camberley Substation was driven by two main factors: the age of the current infrastructure and the need to support a growing community. The existing substation, built over 50 years ago, had reached its capacity limit and could no longer keep up with local demand. This upgrade will not only meet today’s electricity needs but also prepare the region for future growth.
The project is currently in the commissioning phase, which is the final stage before the substation becomes fully operational. During this phase, engineers are conducting rigorous testing to ensure all systems are working as intended and safely integrating the new infrastructure into the wider electricity network. This step is critical to confirm the facility will perform reliably once it is officially online in autumn 2025.
Once the new facility is operational, it will provide power to essential local services, including Hawke’s Bay Hospital, the Hastings District Council’s Frimley water treatment plant and the many homes and businesses in the area.
Additionally, Camberley Substation will be able to handle the growing need for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, helping more residents and businesses transition to cleaner energy solutions. Having a more efficient, modern facility in the area also enables more local businesses to convert their operations to electric processes, helping reduce carbon emissions.
Commitment to Sustainability
Building on the success of Unison’s award-winning Windsor 11kV Switchroom, Camberley Substation incorporates materials and technology that reduce environmental impact. Hiding behind the plain exterior (designed to blend into its industrial surroundings) is one of the project’s standout features – a new type of switchgear which controls and protects electricity flow within the substation. Unlike traditional models that use a harmful gas for insulation, this industry leading innovative (36kV) switchgear is unique because it uses ‘dry air insulation’, making it a cleaner, more environmentally conscious choice.
Unison has also focused on sustainable construction materials and methods. For instance, prefabricated timber panels are used for the switchroom walls. These panels not only speed up construction but also offer a greener renewable alternative to traditional materials. By integrating more sustainable equipment and practices, Camberley Substation aligns with Unison’s vision of enabling our communities’ sustainable energy future.
Towards a Zero-Carbon Future
Camberley Substation is part of Unison’s wider commitment to building a zero-carbon future. Alongside ensuring a resilient power supply, we’re actively investing in more environmentally friendly infrastructure. The insights gained from Camberley’s construction will soon be applied to our next major project: rebuilding the Awatoto Substation in Napier.
Beginning in 2025, the Awatoto Substation will be fully rebuilt to ensure the area’s long-term energy resilience following flood damage caused by Cyclone Gabrielle. While repairs and improvements were made to restore the electricity supply after the cyclone, a full rebuild is necessary for lasting stability and to support growth.
The Awatoto project will further advance our use of modular construction in substations – a technique where most structures are built off-site and then delivered for quick installation. This approach will significantly reduce both construction time and costs, while also enabling improved resilience on site.
Through these projects, Unison is not only preparing to meet Hawke’s Bay’s energy needs today, but also laying the long-term groundwork for a greener, more resilient future.
Gaganpreet Chadha is GM Networks and Operations – Unison Networks
