History

Early Beginnings

The first company to distribute electricity to the township of Ashburton was Craddock and Co. The company commenced supply in 1908, when the company used a steam tractor engine to power a generator. Supply was taken over by Ashburton Electric Supply Company in 1912.

The Power Board

The Ashburton Electric Power District was founded in 1921 and the first Board was elected late that year. The Ashburton Electric Power Board took over the electricity generation from the Borough Council and distribution from the Supply Company in 1923.

The Ashburton Electric Power Board was responsible for the distribution of power to the district for over seventy years. Electricity Ashburton, a registered co-operative company, replaced the Ashburton Electric Power Board in 1995.

Electricity Ashburton Today

Electricity Ashburton continues to grow today in terms of connections and load. Strong economic growth in the region over recent years, in both the rural and urban sectors, has ensured strong demand for Electricity Ashburton services and power supply.

• Employing over 70 staff, the company looks after more than 16,800 line connections and 2,776 km worth of network lines.
• Electricity Ashburton provides deferred discounts to its customers. In 2007, a total of $3.5 million was paid to customers.
• Power demand in the region continues to grow strongly. In 2007 the demand reached record levels, exceeding 120MW for the calendar year.
• Electricity Ashburton continues to invest in the region's power distribution infrastructure. Last year over $14.5million was spent on network development.
• Electricity Ashburton line charges are amongst the lowest in New Zealand.