14 Jun 2023
Transpower New Zealand today was announced as an Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award recipient. Presented to EEI member companies twice a year, the Emergency Response Awards recognize recovery and assistance efforts of electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events. The winners were chosen by a panel of judges following an international nomination process, and the awards were presented during EEI’s summer Board of Directors and CEO meeting held in conjunction with EEI 2023.
“Ensuring the safety of our customers, communities, and crews is our industry’s top priority. Safety is especially critical during severe storms and extreme weather events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and winter storms,” said EEI President and CEO Tom Kuhn. “I commend Transpower’s commitment to restoring service for its customers safely and efficiently under challenging conditions following Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle. Transpower New Zealand and its storm response teams are extremely deserving of this recognition, and I am honored to present them with this well-earned recovery award.”
Severe Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle devastated parts of the North Island of New Zealand in February 2023 causing eight fatalities – making it the country’s deadliest weather event since 1968. It was also the largest event experienced in terms of damage to the national electricity grid and the associated interruptions to supply and connections.
“A significant effort went into restoring electricity supply in the Hawke’s Bay and Tairāwhiti regions after the cyclone flooded the critical Redclyffe substation, cutting off supply to more than 200,000 people. In restoring power supply, along with our local lines company partners Unison Networks and Firstlight Network, all our service providers and generator Genesis Energy, we achieved in a matter of days what would normally take months to deliver,” said Transpower Chief Executive Alison Andrew.
“It is an honour to receive this award for our response to Cyclone Gabrielle. Our thanks go to everyone that supported us in the restoration effort and to the EEI for the award. We would also like to acknowledge the people of Hawke’s Bay and the impact the cyclone has had on them as they face a very long recovery in the region.”
About EEI and Transpower
EEI is the association that represents all U.S. investor-owned electric companies. Our members provide electricity for more than 235 million Americans, and operate in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. As a whole, the electric power industry supports more than 7 million jobs in communities across the United States. In addition to our U.S. members, EEI has more than 65 international electric companies, with operations in more than 90 countries, as International Members, and hundreds of industry suppliers and related organizations as Associate Members.
Transpower New Zealand is New Zealand’s national electricity grid owner and system operator.
We build, maintain and own the national high voltage electricity transmission grid that connects generators of electricity with users (directly and via local lines companies) around the country.
Our transmission network consists of 170 substations, 25,000 transmission towers, and more than 11,000 kilometres of lines that run the length and breadth of the country across public and private land. We also operate the wholesale electricity market through which generators sell electricity to retailers who then supply consumers. As System Operator, we ensure supply (provided by generators) matches demand (by electricity users) and manage system security – 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year.