Work will begin today to clear mud and rubble from around a damaged Lyttelton substation after a mudslide yesterday morning.

The Orion substation at Simeon Quay suffered damage to the roof and a wall, but no power was cut following the mudslide.

The substation supplies power to 1,000 customers, including the Lyttelton port.

Orion chief executive Rob Jamieson said geotechnical engineers will be at the site today as work gets underway.

“As soon as we’re notified that the slip above the substation is no longer a safety risk, we’ll be able to fully assess the substation and work out what needs to be done to stabilise the building.”

If power does go out due to damage at the substation, diesel generators will restore power where possible and Orion contractors will dig up and cut existing underground power cables to reconfigure the network to get electricity into the area.

– Image / Simon Baker

– By Paul Harper, nzherald.co.nz