Auckland CBD Power Failure Inquiry - 12 March 1998
[ Last Updated 13 January 2006 ]
Hon Max Bradford
Minister of Energy
12 March 1998
Auckland CBD Power Failure Inquiry
Energy Minister Max Bradford today announced the terms of reference and membership of the three person Ministerial Inquiry into the Auckland CBD power failure.
"The Ministerial Inquiry is to report back to me by the end of June on what happened, why and lessons for the future," Mr Bradford said.
The Inquiry will be headed by Hugh Rennie QC.
The two other Inquiry members are:
Don Sollitt, managing director and deputy chairman of PDL Holdings, the largest electrical and plastic products manufacturing company in New Zealand.
Dr Keith Turner, an energy consultant with a doctorate in electrical engineering. He was Managing Director, DesignPower in 1991-2 and General Manager, Generation, ECNZ from 1993 to 1995.
Mr Bradford said the Inquiry's terms of reference included consideration of organisational issues including governance arrangements and accountability issues, as well as technical factors, risk management and contingency planning.
"As a first step the Inquiry has been asked to commission and publish a report by engineering experts on the technical causes of the cable failures," Mr Bradford said. "This will provide a factual background for public submissions on the wider issues."
The Inquiry has been modelled on the 1992 Electricity Shortage Review Committee which worked very effectively and reported on time. Like the 1992 Committee it will not have formal statutory powers.
"I have been assured in writing by Mercury Energy and the Auckland Energy Consumer Trust that they will cooperate fully with the Inquiry," Mr Bradford said.
The Inquiry is not expected to commence its formal proceedings until full security of power supply has been re-established in Auckland.
"Restoring full power at a high security level is the top priority. The Government does not want the attention of Mercury Energy to be diverted right now from achieving this objective", Mr Bradford said.
"I am confident that the inquiry will provide valuable insights and lessons for the future. Power failures of this magnitude are totally unacceptable.
"The Government sees the Inquiry as an opportunity to learn what went wrong and to make sure that such failures do not happen again.
Terms of Reference attached
Enquiries: Ann Howarth,
press secretary,
04-471 9836
025-424 565
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