Report on Northland Transmission Tower Collapse Released, Revealing Critical Failures and Economic Impact

Minister Simeon Brown outlines key findings and recommendations, emphasizing urgent action needed from Transpower to improve infrastructure oversight and prevent future incidents.

Energy Minister Simeon Brown has released the Electricity Authority’s report on the collapse of a Northland transmission tower on 20 June 2024, which left 88,000 people without power. The report reveals a series of preventable failures that led to the collapse and estimates an economic impact of between $37.5 million and $80 million for the region.

“The report highlights that several key failures led to the transmission tower collapsing, and the economic impact for Northland was substantial,” said Brown. “Without distributed electricity generation, the costs could have been even higher.” Key Findings of the Report:

Critical Failures in Maintenance and Oversight: The report identified that the removal of nuts from the tower's baseplates was the immediate cause of the collapse and deemed this failure entirely avoidable. It also highlighted an overreliance by Transpower on service providers to maintain critical infrastructure and the failure to act on identified risks. Concerns raised internally, including by a senior Transpower engineer in 2021 about maintenance crew knowledge gaps, were not addressed.

“Transpower’s failure to act on these warnings has had terrible consequences for the people of Northland,” Brown said. “The report also suggests that this may not have been a one-off event, which is deeply concerning.”

Restoration Efforts and Role of Distributed Generation: Despite the collapse, the report praised the speed and efficiency of power restoration efforts. Distributed generation played a crucial role, meeting 45% of peak demand and saving Northland consumers an estimated $26 million in additional economic costs.

Systemic Issues and Recommendations for Improvement: The report issued 26 recommendations for improvement, focusing on better training for maintenance crews, stricter compliance monitoring, and more robust governance by Transpower’s senior management and Board.

Key Recommendations Include:

Improved Maintenance Procedures: Transpower must revise its policies for baseplate refurbishment, ensuring that contractors are properly trained, monitored, and compliant with technical specifications.

Stronger Oversight and Reporting: Non-compliance by service providers must be escalated to Transpower's Board, to ensure effective governance and oversight.

Enhancing Regional Resilience: The report recommends reviewing the Electricity Code to allow distributors to generate more power within their networks. The Government has already signalled changes that will ease restrictions on Electricity Distribution Businesses (EDBs) to increase regional electricity generation.

Minister Brown confirmed that he would write to the Electricity Authority to ensure that the recommendations were fully implemented and that the Authority would continue monitoring the process. The Government has also committed to reviewing rules that limit distributor electricity generation, with details expected later this year.

“These are concrete steps to ensure that an event like this does not happen again. Transmission towers are critical infrastructure and must be managed and maintained accordingly,” Brown said, thanking the independent review team, led by Sarah Sinclair, for its comprehensive work.

The Government’s actions aim to enhance New Zealand’s energy resilience, ensuring reliable power supply and safeguarding the country’s critical infrastructure.