Islington/Bromley via Timaru and Ashburton line (built 1975). Increasing demand and changing usage patterns, largely attributed to land use changes and increased irrigation in Canterbury, means that these lines are fast approaching capacity, and because they all converge on Islington sub-station in western Christchurch, a major fault at the sub-station could potentially interrupt the electricity supply to the entire South Island north of Christchurch. One of the many proposals to alleviate this issue includes a tap into the HVDC Inter-Island and an inverter/rectifier station where it meets the two 220 kV Islington to Kikiwa lines near Waipara in North Canterbury. This would allow another route for electricity into Christchurch and the Upper South Island, and create redundancy in the network. However, due to its large cost and there being more cost-effective solutions to secure electricity supply in the short-to medium term, it is unlikely for such a tap to be built before 2027. Site locations Haywards HVDC Converter Station: Te Hikowhenua deviation line take-off point: Te Hikowhenua Shore Electrode Station: Oteranga Bay Cable Terminal Station: Fighting Bay Cable Terminal Station: Bog Roy Land Electrode Station: Benmore HVDC Converter Station: See also National Grid (New Zealand) High-voltage direct current List of HVDC projects Electricity sector in New Zealand References External links New Zealand's HVDC Link New Zealand HVDC – the interisland link (from the ABB website) https://web.archive.org/web/20050526185217/http://www.transmission.bpa.gov/cigresc14/Compendium/NEW-ZEAL.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20050526185217/http://www.transmission.bpa.gov/cigresc14/Compendium/New-zeal%20Pictures.pdf Energy infrastructure completed in 1965 HVDC transmission lines Inter-Island Electric power in New Zealand Electric power transmission systems in New Zealand Buildings and structures in the Wellington Region Cook Strait Buildings and structures in the Marlborough Region Buildings and structures in Canterbury, New Zealand Buildings and structures in Otago 1965 establishments in New Zealand