Upcoming workshops/webinars
Industry Exercise 2025
Transpower and the Electricity Authority Te Mana Hiko look forward to working with industry in the Industry Exercise 2025 so that, together, we can ensure we’re well prepared for a dry winter situation and electricity customers continue to receive the best possible service.
We expect all lines companies, direct-connects and retailers to register a key contact and ensure representatives from operations, communications/customer functions attend.
There will be webinars on 4 and 18 March to provide participants with the knowledge to take part in a practical simulated online exercise on 9 April 2025.
Webinar 1: Rolling outages process - Tuesday 4 March, 2 hrs (exact time TBC)
Learn about industry processes for an extended electricity supply shortage, including the:
- System Operator Rolling Outage Plan, changes since 2024 and what this means for you
- how the system operator will communicate with you if an Official Conservation Campaign moves to rolling outages
- the rolling outage process, what information you need to send to the system operator and how
- your responsibilities under the Consumer Care Obligations.
Webinar 2: Preparing for the Industry Exercise - Tuesday 18 March, 2 hrs (exact time TBC)
Understand how the industry exercise will work and what you need to do to prepare, including:
- how the system operator communicates an extended electricity supply shortage
- whenthe rolling outage process is triggered
- what information is provided to you, what you need to do and when
- developing a GXP demand forecast and rolling outage schedule for the system operator by 2 April
- preparing communications plans and materials.
Industry Exercise 2025 - Wednesday 9 April, full day
Take part in the pan-industry simulated exercise for an extended electricity supply shortage and practice:
- responding to communications from the system operator
- coordinating with other market participants
- implementing your rolling outage plan
- meeting the Customer Care Obligations
- communicating with your key stakeholders, media and customers (including via a social media simulator).
The Industry Exercise 2025 is an important opportunity to come together to practice our respective roles when the system comes under pressure.
For any questions, please contact [email protected]
Past workshops/webinars
We run various workshops, webinars and exercises each year that are topical to the industry. Materials related to these sessions over the last five years are provided here.
- 2024
Asset Owner Engineering Forum
Transpower hosted its annual Asset Owner Engineering Forum on Wednesday 30 October.
The forum was an opportunity for asset owners and the system operator to discuss various topics at a technical level. The system operator also discussed and shared information relating to asset owner performance obligations.
This year’s forum focused on generation commissioning in the changing landscape of New Zealand’s power system, with particular attention given to clarifying the system operator’s generation commissioning process and accompanying requirements, specifically:
- generation commissioning framework
- commissioning and testing prerequisites
- timelines to ensure the successful commissioning of generation assets for New Zealand.
The slide pack and notes from the forum can be found below:
Presentation - 2024 System Operator Asset Owner Engineering Forum
Please contact us at [email protected] if you have any questions or feedback.
NZGB tool update workshop
Operations hosted a virtual workshop on 12 June 2024 to take the sector through improvements to the New Zealand Generation Balance (NZGB) tool that will go live at the end of June.
The NZGB tool forecasts whether New Zealand will have enough generation capacity to meet daily peak demand under certain scenarios. It is a critical tool for the grid owner and other market participants to plan essential maintenance outages.
A video of the workshop and slide pack can be found below, and the NZGB tool is hosted on our Operations Customer Portal.
Slide pack Industry simulation exercises held on 1 & 8 May 2024
The Electricity Authority and Transpower held two industry exercises covering a major power system event on 1 and 8 May 2024.
Wednesday 1 May – for control room operators
- This day was led by the system operator to test grid emergency processes and interactions between the system operator and generators, lines companies and direct connect industrial customers.
Wednesday 8 May – for digital communications/social media/customer leads
- This day was led by the Electricity Authority alongside Transpower’s communication team and tested communications and interactions from Transpower out through lines companies and retailers to end consumers.
The following report summarises the first day of the pan-industry simulation exercise for control room operators. It details how the exercise unfolded, how participants responded, and includes lessons learned and key takeaways from the exercise.
Industry Exercise 2024 Report Final.pdf (PDF 1.19 MB)Please get in touch via [email protected] if you have any questions or feedback on this report, or on any other aspects of the annual pan-industry exercise.
- 2023
Industry Exercise 2023 Report, 4 August 2023
Transpower has completed a report on this year's Industry Exercise. The report summarises the preparations, participation, observations, feedback from industry, key learnings, and the opportunities identified for further improvement.
Industry Exercise 20230524 - Report.pdf (PDF 361.99 KB)Security of Supply and evolving context – 25 July 2023
We presented the Security of Supply Assessment for 2023 at this extended System Operator Industry Forum.
The annual assessment uses electricity demand and supply forecasts to assess whether there will be enough energy and capacity to meet New Zealand’s electricity demand over the coming decade. It is based on existing generation as well as planned generation at different stages of the development process.
We also presented a new Evolving security of supply assessment in New Zealand paper that looks at how our thinking about a secure electricity supply should evolve as we move to a low or zero carbon future.
The Security of Supply presentation starts at the 7-minute mark and continues for the rest of the hour.
Winter 2023: Managing winter peak capacity risks - 30 May 2023
We took industry through our approach to managing winter peak capacity risks in an extended edition of our fortnightly System Operator Industry Forum. The session presented:
- new information resources available to the market for winter
- new processes for coordinating market participants in the case of low residual generation situations and potential grid emergencies
- a refresher of existing information and processes for informing and coordinating the market
We also presented our approach for communicating potential electricity supply shortfalls with the public, including a reminder of how we will use the Major Power System Event Contact List we set up last year.
Winter 2023: Use of 'discretionary demand' control 17 May 2023
Transpower, the Electricity Authority and NZX co-hosted a webinar on 17 May 2023 to discuss the use of discretionary demand control to manage grid emergencies and how to advise the System Operator of available controllable load using difference bids. Linked below are the slides and video of the presentation.
Winter 2023 Option E Industry Brief - 17 May 2023.pdf (PDF 320.07 KB)Reserve Management Tool, Modelling of Battery Energy Storage Systems 17 May 2023
Transpower held a presentation workshop on 17 May 2023 to discuss the modelling of battery storage system in the reserve management tool (RMT). Linked below are the slides and video of the presentation.
20230517 RMT BESS modelling.pdf (PDF 657.51 KB)- 2022
Exercise Shortfall Report, 12 July 2022
Following the debrief session for Exercise Shortfall, held 9 June 2022, Transpower have completed a report summarising the preparations, participation, observations, feedback from industry, key learnings, and the opportunities identified for further improvement.
Exercise Shortfall Report - 12 July 2022.pdf (PDF 1.59 MB)Exercise Shortfall debrief session, 9 June 2022
Transpower held a debrief session with industry following Exercise Shortfall on 26 May 2022.
Lessons learned and recommendations were shared and discussed. These will captured in a report to be shared with industry in the coming weeks.
Exercise Shortfall - Industry Debrief.pdf (PDF 2.1 MB)Exercise Shortfall preparation session, 12 May 2022
Transpower held a preparation session for industry ahead of the industry-wide grid emergency simulation exercise planned for 26 May 2022.
Presenters provided updates on the Operations, CIMS and Communications workstreams for the exercise.
Exercise Shortfall - Industry Session #2.pdf (PDF 2.55 MB)Exercise Shortfall Q&A.pdf (PDF 134.03 KB)Exercise Shortfall information session, 6 April 2022
Transpower held an information session for industry ahead of the industry-wide grid emergency simulation exercise planned for 26 May 2022.Presenters introduced the exercise, explained how other organisations can participate, and shared our processes and communications principles to assist others in their own planning.
Exercise Shortfall - Industry Session #1.pdf (PDF 2.65 MB)Exercise Shortfall Q&A.pdf (PDF 134.03 KB)- 2021
Industry conference, 19 August 2021
An industry conference was held on 19 August 2021 to provide an update on recent market events, progress on the restoration of Pole 2 and to give an update on issues effecting outputs from the NZGB tool.
NZGB slides 19 Aug.pdf (PDF 276.7 KB)Asset Owner Industry Forum 2021
The Forum is an annual gathering hosted by Transpower in its role as System Operator (SO) for New Zealand’s generation and distribution asset owners. It offers attendees an opportunity to interact with the SO and other asset owners and encourage collaboration at a technical level. It also allows the SO to discuss any challenges you may have in meeting the required Asset Owner Performance Obligations.
The theme for this year’s forum was Embracing New Connections with an aim of informing, clarifying and improving the connection process and providing an overview to the industry of exciting projects that are currently in-flight.
Workshop Topics Held in Wellington on 29 June 2021.
Asset Owner Engineering Forum 2021 Presentations.pdf (PDF 5.11 MB)Contemporaneous transcript AO Engineering Forum 2021.pdf (PDF 336.21 KB)Topics covered
- Future Architecture of Network Project
- New Connection Process
- Connection Study Guide – New Generation
- Asset Testing – Planned and Urgent Test Plan
- EA update - Code changes consultation for BESS
- Overview proposed changes for Ancillary Services Procurement Plan
- RMT enhancement project update – modelling of reserves
- EA update - AUFLS technical requirement – timeline for transition
- Customer Portal – AUFLS Demo (ACS update) – onboarding
Hawkes Bay 2021 Management Plan - Briefing 7 April 2021
A webinar was held on 7 April 2021 to provide an update to the industry on our current risk assessment regarding Waikaremoana generation and interconnector transfer limits into the Hawkes Bay region.
Hawkes Bay 2021 Management Plan (002).pdf (PDF 628.61 KB)Security of Supply - Briefing 3 June 2021
A webinar was held on 3 June 2021 to provide an update to the industry our current risk assessment .
Webinar 3 June 2021.pdf (PDF 1.34 MB)3 June Webinar Q&A.pdf (PDF 103.27 KB)Security of Supply - Briefing 18 May 2021
A webinar was held on 18 May 2021 to provide an update to the industry our current risk assessment .
SOSWebinar20210518.pdf (PDF 1.98 MB)Security of Supply - Briefing 3 May 2021
A webinar was held on 3 May 2021 to provide an update to the industry our current risk assessment .
Webinar 3 May 2021 PDF.pdf (PDF 1.31 MB)3 May SoS webinar Q and A ERC vs SST assumptions FINAL.pdf (PDF 86.28 KB)Security of Supply - Briefing 20 April 2021
A webinar was held on 20 April 2021 to provide an update to the industry our current risk assessment .
SOSWebinar20210420.pdf (PDF 1.69 MB)Security of Supply - Briefing 31 Mar 2021
A webinar was held on 31 March 2021 to provide an update to the industry our current risk assessment .
20210331 Industry update webinar slides.pdf (PDF 1.78 MB)Security of Supply - Briefing 26 Feb 2021
A webinar was held on 26 February 2021 to provide transparency to the industry on our current risk assessment and other indicators we monitor.
Webinar Topics The winter ahead - 2021 industry update.pdf (PDF 2.58 MB)SoS webinar Q&A 26 Feb 2021.pdf (PDF 91.55 KB)Topics covered:
- Roles and responsibilities
- Electricity risk curves and storage trajectory refresher
- Current national risk
- Indicators we monitor
- ERC thermal derating assumptions
- Status curves and SST thermal derating assumptions
- Further information
- 2020
Security of Supply - Outlook to 2030 : Workshop
A workshop was held in Wellington and run on-line on the 28 July 2020. The workshop covered our annual medium-term security of supply assessment as well an interactive session to explore and discuss a range of security of supply risks and issues.
Workshop Topics SoS Workshop Jul 2020.pdf (PDF 1.2 MB)Topics covered:
- Introduction and summary of last year's Security of Supply Annual Assessment.
- Gas generation: future fuel supply constraints?
- Security of supply workshop. Interactive session to discuss medium-term security of supply issues and risks and how these can be captured in our annual medium-term security of supply assessment
- 2019
This year’s forum is on the successful commissioning of assets, with the aim of clarifying, informing and improving the commissioning process.
Workshop Topics Held in Wellington on 2 October 2019.
Asset Owner Engineering Forum 2019.pdf (PDF 4.87 MB)Asset Owners Engineering Forum 2019 - Summary Notes.pdf (PDF 555.85 KB)Topics covered:
- Asset connection assessments requirements
- Distributor connected generator - and System Operator’s ability to meet its Principal Performance Obligations
- Asset owner test data
- Fault ride through
- Maranga Ra, New Zealand’s Largest Solar Farm
- Waipipi Wind Farm
- Solar and battery energy storage systems
- 2018
Asset Owner Industry Forum 2018
The theme of this forum is Fault Ride Through Capability, and Companion Guide for Asset Testing.
The yearly Asset Owner Industry Forum is to discuss emerging issues, share knowledge, and provide guidance on good practice amongst asset owners and the System Operator.
There has been considerable interest from industry participants in getting more detail and clarity about how to demonstrate compliance with the fault ride through requirements of the Code. In the morning session we will summarize the requirements, then have an in-depth look at a study approach including some example studies. In the afternoon session discussion will be on proposed changes to the Companion Guide for Asset Testing with specific reference to guide for generator testing and new technologies and the coordination of Code development to align with their anticipated deployment.
Workshop Topics Held in Wellington on 5 September 2018.
Asset Owners Engineering Forum Presentations 2018.pdf (PDF 3.98 MB)Topics covered
- The Policy Behind the Fault Ride Through Standards
- The FRT envelopes, study assumptions and examples
- Challenges with Determining Compliance with VFRT
- Companion Guide for Asset Testing / Introduction to model-ling requirement
- Integration of Battery Energy Storage into the Power System and Wholesale Market
- Commissioning NZ’s First Direct Grid-Connected Battery