Industry rumours had Tasmanian Deputy Premier Paul Lennon and State Treasurer David Crean last week visiting the New Plymouth company to talk to Powerco about a contract for the installation of natural gas pipelines to some 100,000 Tasmanian homes.

Powerco chief executive Steve Boulton is neither confirming nor denying such a visit, though he admits his company, which already has a network services operational base in Queensland, did get involved with the Tasmanian government about a year ago.

That was when the Australian state was building a shortlist of parties for a final tender round. "But we never made the short list and there were no further discussions," Boulton told EnergyReview.Net today.

He understood the Tasmanian government had recently issued a statement indicating that no-one had met the final selection criteria, so the whole process might have to be repeated, however.

Powerco - which is now New Zealand's second largest energy reticulator following its acquisition of part of the former UnitedNetworks Ltd empire - was regularly talking to up to 10 companies regarding possible business opportunities here and across the Tasman.

He declined to identify any firms or organisations Powerco had recently talked to, saying his company was still concentrating on fully integrating the UNL operations and assets into the Powerco network.

Powerco purchased UNL electricity lines in greater Tauranga and parts of eastern and southern Waikato; as well as gas pipelines in Hastings, westward to Palmerston North and some additional pipelines in the Wellington region.

Powerco employs about 350 people around the North Island and 150 people at its network services base out of Brisbane.