Media update regarding Grid Emergency August 17

What occurred on August 17?

• One of the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) conductors (wire) fell across State Highway 7 in the Weka Pass area, Waikari in North Canterbury. No one was harmed.

What is the latest?

• Last night the road was cleared and reopened with the fallen conductor elevated above the road via hurdles.
• On site assessments last night and today have revealed six towers which normally hold the conductor have been damaged as part of the failure.

Repair of the conductor:

• We have crews on site now and work is well underway to plan the repairs.
• Replacement equipment and conductor has been dispatched for delivery to site. The safety of our people is of the upmost priority particularly now we are operating under COVID-19 Alert Level 4 protocols.  
• The terrain, ground conditions, and current and forecast weather is making the work challenging.
• We have informed the market that we do not expect to have this conductor back in service before Sunday 22 August at 4:00pm.

What is being done to manage the supply of electricity while repairs are undertaken?

• Demand is currently down around 15% and we expect this trend to continue while in Alert Level 4 lockdown.
• We are in regular communication with industry regarding the situation, how demand is looking and what our level of supply is.
• We are currently forecasting sufficient supply to meet demand this evening and out for the rest of the week, barring a major plant failure.  

Why did the conductor fall?

• Our primary focus is to repair the issue. The investigation into why the conductor fell, will take time to complete.
• Early indications are that this was a one-off fault and not a systemic issue.

What was Transpower’s response to the event?

• We issued a Grid Emergency asking for increased generation and for electricity distribution businesses (lines companies) in the North Island to reduce all controllable demand (such as hot water).
• The industry responded accordingly and Transpower was able to maintain the stability of the system nationwide without any disconnections. 

For further information, please contact:
Deborah Gray, Corporate Communications Manager, 021 624 170.

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Media update — 17 August Grid Emergency