WEL Networks Limited is an electricity distribution company, serving the northern and central Waikato region of New Zealand. WEL is the fifth largest electricity distribution companies in New Zealand, with over 80,000 connections and 5,226 km of lines. WEL was formed when Legislation in 1988 amalgamated the Central Waikato Electric Power Board with Hamilton City Council's Electricity Division from 1989 to form Waikato Electricity Limited. After amalgamation, ownership of WEL was vested in the Waikato Electricity Authority. WEA formed WEL Energy Trust in 1993, with the first election in June, so that the community could have some ownership of WEL. In 1992 a third of WEL was sold to Utilicorp for almost $40m, a third retained for the Trust and a third given to customers. The Electricity IndustryReform Act 1998 forced WEL to sell its retail business. It sold to the State ownedNatural Gas Corporation for $89.9m. The Trust then bought back all WEL's shares to become its sole owner. In 2001 WEL was renamed WEL Networks Ltd. After the Trust's 2003 elections it reduced grants given to community groups and started paying discounts to customers. By 2014 the Trust had paid over $240 million to customers in discounts, but had also invested over $60 million in community and energy efficiency grants. In 2014–15, over $2m was paid in grants. WEL Networks subsidiary Ultrafast Fibre Limited has formed a joint venture with Crown Fibre Holdings to form Ultrafast Broadband Limited. This joint venture has secured government contracts to deploy, own and operate the Ultra-Fast Broadbandfibre to the premises network in the central North Island.
Distribution network
WEL's distribution area covers the Hamilton City and the majority of the Waikato District, including the towns of Ngāruawāhia, Huntly, Te Kauwhata and Raglan. The distribution network is supplied from Transpower's national grid at four grid exit points : Hamilton, Te Kowhai, Huntly and Meremere. WEL networks uses 33,000 volts for subtransmission and 11,000 volts for distribution. As is standard in New Zealand, electricity is delivered to homes at 230/400 volts.
