Simeon Brown: Energy Minister on the Electricity Authority's report into the Northland pylon collapse

The Energy Minister has been quick to criticise Transpower's conduct that led to the collapse of a Northland power pylon.

A new report by the Electricity Authority revealed one of the company's senior engineers had warned crews doing foundation work had knowledge gaps before the pylon toppled in June.

Minister Simeon Brown says this failure was 'unacceptable' and 'avoidable'.

"Ultimately, Transpower didn't do anything in relation to addressing those concerns in 2021 - and that has led to what happened in Northland in June this year."

LISTEN ABOVE

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Afternoon. The final report into the Northland Power pylon collapse
has found, surprise, surprise, it was entirely avoidable. The report
found several key failures, including the fact that Transpower was
overly reliant on contractors and back in twenty twenty one,
a senior engineer had actually raised concerns that those maintenance
crews that they were overly reliant on just didn't know
what they were doing. Minister for Energy Simeon Brown is

(00:22):
with us. Now, Hey, Simeon, good afternoon. When did it
happen before?

Speaker 2 (00:27):
Well, I've been given advice that there were that there
were three previous occasions on the seventeenth of June, eighteenth
of June six to seventh of June this year, So
that is the advice that's been in the report. But
I think what are in addition to the report? But
I think what I would I would say is what
the engineer from Transpower identified back in twenty twenty one

(00:50):
was a gap. So I don't know if there were
further occasions side of the occasions that we're actually aware of,
and ultimately Transpowered didn't do anything in relation to addressing
those concerns from twenty twenty one and that has led
to what happened in Northland in June this year, which
was completely unacceptable and avoidable.

Speaker 1 (01:08):
Okay, So on the three occasions previous to this one
where the nuts were taken out of more than one
leg at a time, was it the same crew? Was
it the same contractor?

Speaker 2 (01:18):
That is my understanding, and this is powers in the
nearby area which.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Were being worked. Are you telling me it was ome
exom all four times?

Speaker 2 (01:29):
Well, I can't confirm that right now. I've been confirmed
that there were three previous occasions and this is in
regards to the same thing happening obviously within a very
close period of time, in relation to that same behavior happening.
So I think what this is identified and I guess
I guess what this report has identified is that this

(01:49):
behavior has been happening. It has led to this horrific
event happening in Northland. But more importantly, they knew about
this problem back in twenty twenty one and nothing was
done then and that shows issues around what happened around

(02:09):
that report from the engineer, how it was not taken
into account. And that's why this report is so important
to send the message to Transpower around its management of
its contractors, the procedures it needs to have in place,
the training, and also the governance assurance that's required over
top of all of that from its board downwards to
make sure the appropriate policies and procedures are being implemented

(02:30):
to keep our electricity system secure.

Speaker 1 (02:32):
So, I mean the three other times that they took
the nuts out of more than one pilon league at
a time, why didn't the pylons fall over on those occasions.

Speaker 2 (02:40):
Well, the particular site which where it did fall over,
it's all to do with the tensioning. The one that
it did fall over was on a corner, and so
when you have the tensioning pulling it over from one
side where the wires are turning a corner, you're going
to have that pressure which is getting applied. And so

(03:00):
the off they took off the bolts and the nuts
on the legs which were supporting the tower against that tension,
and as they did it for both of those legs,
ultimately that tension meant that it fell over.

Speaker 1 (03:13):
Same And when they did this on the other occasions,
did they realize that it was the wrong thing to
do before they did it? When the you know, like,
did they realize, whoops, we shouldn't be doing it, and
then they did it anyway and the pilon fell over,
or did we realize after the fact that this was
about the fourth time they've done it?

Speaker 2 (03:30):
Oh, well, after the fact that's come through because of
the minute that the report has obviously gone in there
and asked these questions. And that's why this report is
so important that we did that.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Loving OMXM, because not only do we find out so
they made the pilon fall over one time, they've possibly
done it three other times and now it turns out
they're also not giving the information to the electricity authority,
the electric They basically didn't let them talk to their contractors.
Do we need to stop transpower using this lot?

Speaker 2 (03:54):
Well, one of the recommendations here is allowed allowing the
electricity Authority to be able to have more powers to
excess information. Will be MB's going to be looking at
that and giving me some advice on that, and I
think that's something which we actually need to be allowing
the ultrite Authority to ask the questions, get the information
so that they can actually get to the bottom of
these issues in relation to the contracting policies and particular companies.

(04:16):
I can't comment on that. They're a stat on enterprise.
They're ultimately responsible and accountable, and I would suggest you ask,
well they're responsible that, and I suggest you put those
questions to Transpower. They are questions that they should be answering.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Yes, we'd love to. Transpower has got a problem with
our cloud music, Sime, and thank you, Simmey and Brown.
The Ministry for Energy a Minister for Energy rather apparently
so omix On Electricity Authority tried to speak to the
contractors who work for omx On who took out the nuts.
But even though they tried, they say they asked the questions.
We've got a series of information from the contract to
some of it will suggests subjective. It reads like omix

(04:51):
On said, nah, you can't talk to our people. For
more from Heather Duplassy Allen Drive, Listen live to news
talk sai'd Be from four pm weekdays. Follow the podcast
on iHeartRadio.