Orion earthquake response

Power was cut to approximately 11,000 customers in west Christchurch last night as a result of the 5.3 magnitude aftershock at 10.34pm.

Nearly all power was restored within one hour.

Suburbs affected included Avonhead, Burnside, Bryndwr, Fendalton, Ilam, Hornby and Russley.
"Protection systems shut down two of our large substations automatically when the aftershock hit, causing the power cuts. Big substations are designed to react this way when there's strong ground movement - by shutting down they prevent potentially extensive damage and lengthy power cuts," says Orion General Manager Commercial Rob Jamieson.

"We're generally very happy with how the electricity network is holding up, given the ongoing aftershocks, and we've found no more significant damage as a result of last night's events."

Reports indicate that the aftershock released the fifth largest amount of energy since the September 4 quake.

A cable fault at 12.15am affected another 750 customers in Bryndwr and Ilam. Power was restored within 90 minutes.

An overhead line fault at Hornby and Halswell affected 450 customers. Power was restored within three hours.