Electricity Authority to review Northland power outage

The Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko is undertaking a review into the Northland power outages as a result of a transmission tower falling on 20 June.

Minister for Energy Simeon Brown requested the Authority carry out a review under Section 18 of the Electricity Industry Act 2010 after the collapse of a transmission tower cut power to consumers in the region.

As the regulator, the Authority is best placed to conduct an independent investigation into the events and welcomes the opportunity to carry out a review.

"Electricity consumers need to have confidence their electricity supply is as reliable as possible. Our review will seek that assurance on behalf of consumers," says Sarah Gillies, Chief Executive of the Electricity Authority.

"Interruptions to the supply of power do occasionally happen, but we want the New Zealand public, especially those in Northland who were left without power, to know that we are intent on getting to the bottom of the problem and making sure any issues identified are urgently corrected.

"Northland consumers have been significantly impacted, including businesses that can’t power their operations, process payments or have been forced to work in the dark. They deserve answers, and they need to be assured that this won’t happen again.

"We will work closely with grid owner and operator Transpower, local lines companies and other agencies during the review," said Gillies.

Under Section 18 of the Act, the Minister can request the Authority review and report on any matter relating to the electricity industry that is specified by the Minister.