Response to 9 August 2021 Grid Emergency
On 9 Aug 2021 the country faced the largest demand peak in response to one of the coldest nights of the year. As system operator, we called a Grid Emergency when insufficient generation was available to meet demand, leading to some customers being disconnected. A number of reviews of this event are underway including an independent review commissioned by Transpower to help us understand the event and industry’s response on the night, to identify where we need to make changes. As system operator, we have a programme of work underway to address recommendations from each of the reports, which includes industry engagement.
Event reviews
| Date | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Apr 2022 |
Electricity Authority, Phase 2 Demand Management Event Report |
Report |
| 12 Oct 2021 | Transpower-commissioned review, PBA Consulting Independent Investigation | Report |
| 12 Oct 2021 | Transpower-commissioned review, Thompson Lewis Independent Investigation ‑ Stakeholder Communications | Report |
| 24 Sep 2021 | Transpower response to immediate assurance review (letter and attachment) | |
| 10 Sep 2021 | Electricity Authority, Phase 1 Immediate Assurance Review | Report |
| 25 November 2021 | Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment Review | Report |
Revision of notices for insufficient generation
Following industry feedback we published our revised process and operational notices for insufficient generation on 30 November 2022. This is available here.
Industry exercise to simulate a generation shortfall
We ran a simulation exercise on 26 May 2022 to test the industry’s response to a generation shortfall event like the one that occurred on 9 August 2021. Exercise Shortfall was designed to test improved communications and operational processes put in place since then and look for further opportunities for improvement.
More information is available in the 2022 accordion under Exercise Shortfall here.
Industry briefings and presentations
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On 30 November the System Operator held an update on its work to update its processes and notices.
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On 20 October 2021, the System Operator held a sector briefing on follow up actions on the events of 9 August 2021.
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