Orion is celebrating 100 years of electricity supply in Christchurch and has marked the occasion with a gift to each of its shareholding councils, the CCC, Selwyn and Banks Peninsula districts. The CCC has an 87.6 per cent stake in Orion.

The Avon River bridges to be lit are in Victoria Square near the Town Hall and on Armagh Street. The lighting will form part of a larger City Council-funded project to create a “ribbon of light” through Christchurch along the Avon.

Orion chief executive Roger Sutton says lighting the bridges is a fitting way for Orion to mark its centenary. “Over the century, improvements in street lighting have been one of the great visible benefits electricity has brought to the city. While better lighting has made the streets safer, the City Council has also always invested in amenity lighting so the city’s features are highlighted after dark,” Mr Sutton says.

The lighting being used is the latest energy efficient technology. A lighting up ceremony is being planned for October.

At the end of June Orion announced a profit of just under $30 million for the last year. It will pay out $23.7m in tax-paid dividends. The Christchurch City share is $20.8m. Chairman Linda Constable said the company had not put up its network delivery prices for four years and had decided to hold those prices for a fifth year.