Draft decision on Horizon Networks’ Ōpōtiki upgrade
The Commerce Commission has released its draft decision to allow Horizon Networks, the electricity distribution business responsible for delivering power to around 25,500 homes and businesses in the eastern Bay of Plenty, to recover the costs of a network upgrade in Ōpōtiki.
Horizon Networks applied to reopen its current price-quality path to fund a $14.3 million investment to address increasing demand and voltage constraints in the Ōpōtiki area.
The draft decision approves the recovery of costs over the remaining regulatory period based on the upgrades, providing a more resilient and reliable electricity supply for local communities.
If confirmed, this is expected to increase bills by approximately $2.85 per month for an average consumer from 2028 to 2030.
Horizon has previously identified issues on their existing network, including voltage constraints, the need to accommodate forecast load growth, and reliability improvements. Despite taking interim measures the issues have persisted.
Future demand is likely to impact services, and without intervention consumers are likely to face:
- more frequent voltage problems
- reduced reliability
- limits on new connections as demand increases
The Commission considers the project to be necessary, prudent and efficiently costed.
The Commission is seeking feedback before making a final decision. Submissions can be made to the Commission by 9 July 2026.
More information is available on our DPP4 and DPP3 Reopeners page.