High-voltage power pylons that could have been waiting up to 10 years to receive much needed work will now be maintained from April on after Transpower today accelerated $50 million of work on the national grid.

The funding – to begin in April – will have added benefits of increasing employment opportunities for local labourers and suppliers.

Transpower chief executive Dr Patrick Strange says this is essential maintenance work on existing towers and foundations, rather than a major new project.

"But it is important work for the grid.”

Dr Strange says that advancing the works makes sound business sense to Transpower. “There are major cost savings and synergies in doing the work as part of one programme.”

Energy and Resources Minister Gerry Brownlee says the work has relatively high labour and New Zealand material costs. “Much of the work is going to be contracted out to regional contractors and employers – valuable work at the time an economic slowdown,” he says.

Stage one, beginning in April, involves basic maintenance and strengthening of towers, including foundations. Access tracks and civil works on substations will be improved, and towers will be painted.

"A further $50 million [stage two] of infrastructure work on the grid involving conductor upgrading is also planned pending regulatory approval,” Mr Brownlee says.

Stage two will include upgrades of tower insulators, pending regulatory approval from the Electricity Commission.

“We will be in contact with landowners to discuss the best timing of the programme in each area, so as to minimise inconvenience,” Dr Strange says.

Transpower has over $3.8 billion worth of projects in the pipeline to reinforce the national grid. “We have the resources to do both well,” Dr Strange says.

Transpower spokeswoman Adele Fitzpatrick says the works will not include upgrading the Penrose substation that caused Auckland’s recent blackouts.

“This is maintenance work and is separate to our planned capital works. Also, this is work that has already been planned, approved and is funded by Transpower,” says Ms Fitzpatrick.