Resources Minister Shane Jones told the HeraldNorthland’s widespread loss of power had accelerated the Government’s focus on aspects of its coalition agreement between National and New Zealand First, including assessing generation asset investment and the implementation of regulations to ensure sufficient infrastructure is in place.
Those commitments would be discussed by the Government’s top ministers next week, Jones said.
“That part of the coalition agreement has just enjoyed an acceleration over the last 24 hours and [we] will be raising these matters next week in Cabinet.
“It strikes at the heart of Northland’s resilience.”
He also highlighted how losing power at Northland’s Marsden Point oil refinery, located south of Whangārei, compromised its ability to supply fuel to Auckland.
Jones said refinery management had told him matters were in hand but he warned of consequences if power was cut off for an extended period.
“Should there be a further collapse of power access over a long period of time, major problems will ensue in terms of fuel resilience.”
Energy companies Northpower and Top Energy confirmed today all of their combined 100,000 customers had their power restored yesterday evening.
The transmission tower collapse, which happened about 45km west of Warkworth in Glorit, happened at the same time another circuit connecting Northland to the grid was down for maintenance.
Some Northland businesses closed early yesterday and others only accepted cash as trading continued in the dark. Students at a number of schools were sent home early.
Police officers directed traffic at some intersections and the New Zealand Transport Agency reminded motorists to follow give-way rules at all other junctions while the traffic lights were out.
The downed transmission tower led to widespread blackouts in Northland. Photo / Michael Craig
Generators kicked in at Whangārei, Dargaville, Bay of Islands and Kaitāia hospitals.
Despite power returning, energy companies were still requesting the public use electricity wisely and to prepare for more outages if demand exceeded supply.
The event was expected to increase the Government’s focus on three items within the National/NZ First coalition agreement.
They are:
- Investigate the threshold at which local lines companies can invest in generation assets.
- Commission a study into New Zealand’s fuel security requirements.
- Require the electricity regulator to implement regulations such that there is sufficient electricity infrastructure to ensure security of supply and avoid excessive prices.
The agreement also included a commitment to investigate the re-opening of the refinery, including establishing a fuel security plan.
Jones, a NZ First MP based in Northland, said any inquiry on the subject would look at ensuring Northland’s power supply was more resilient.
“We’ll have a review under way leading to better resilience for Northland, allowing for Northland to become power independent.”
Energy Minister Simeon Brown is expected to provide an update on the situation in Northland this afternoon.
Adam Pearse is a political reporter in the NZ Herald Press Gallery team, based at Parliament. He has worked for NZME since 2018, covering sport and health for the Northern Advocate in Whangārei before moving to the NZ Herald in Auckland, covering Covid-19 and crime.
