The first electricity grid-connected substation in the Wellington region was built in 1924, with the majority of the network built in the 1950s-1970s.

Originally owned by local councils, ownership has changed significantly since the early 1990s. At the start of the 1990s, the Wellington City Council Municipal Electricity Department (MED) and the Hutt Valley Electric Power Board (HVEPB) merged their electricity assets. As part of the Energy Companies Act 1992, two new companies were formed, Capital Power and Energy Direct. In 1996, the Canadian-owned power company, TransAlta, acquired both companies to form a consolidated electricity distribution network business.

Ownership was passed to United Networks in 1998, which Vector acquired in 2003. Both United Networks and Vector integrated the Wellington-based network into their overall operations.

In July 2008, the network was purchased by CK Infrastructure Holdings Limited (formerly known as Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited) and Power Assets Holdings Limited (formerly known as Hongkong Electric) to create Wellington Electricity Lines Limited (Wellington Electricity). Following this purchase, Wellington Electricity has re-established its corporate office and operates its business systems for the independent operation and control of the network.

We are a local company, working hard to keep the lights on for our residential and business customers, and providing infrastructure that is critical to our economy and wellbeing. Our corporate office is in Petone, our staff are local, and we partner with local businesses to ensure the safety and reliability of our network.

You can find out more about us here.