1
00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:02,640
Speaker 1: Evening. There are a couple of investigations underway now to

2
00:00:02,680 --> 00:00:05,960
Speaker 1: figure out why a power pylon just fall over, knocking

3
00:00:06,040 --> 00:00:09,360
Speaker 1: out the power to all of Northland yesterday. Transpower's boss

4
00:00:09,440 --> 00:00:11,800
Speaker 1: this morning would not be drawn on what happened, but

5
00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:14,040
Speaker 1: the Energy Minister, Sime and Brown, later in the day

6
00:00:14,080 --> 00:00:16,919
Speaker 1: confirmed that yes, the Transpower crew was working on the

7
00:00:16,920 --> 00:00:19,760
Speaker 1: pilon at the time. The Electricity Authority is conducting one

8
00:00:19,760 --> 00:00:22,239
Speaker 1: of those investigations in the Chief Executive, Sarah Gillies, is

9
00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:25,120
Speaker 1: with us. Now, Hey, Sarah, Hi, what happened?

10
00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:28,320
Speaker 2: Well, that's exactly what we want to find out. So

11
00:00:29,200 --> 00:00:31,960
Speaker 2: you know, it's really important that we get into finding

12
00:00:32,000 --> 00:00:34,680
Speaker 2: out what happened here. Consumers have a right to have

13
00:00:34,720 --> 00:00:37,519
Speaker 2: confidence in their electricity supply and we need to know

14
00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:38,879
Speaker 2: what happened and give them answers.

15
00:00:38,960 --> 00:00:40,320
Speaker 1: Do you know what they were doing there? What was

16
00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:41,400
Speaker 1: the work they were actually doing.

17
00:00:42,320 --> 00:00:44,360
Speaker 2: I don't know the details of that, but that's part

18
00:00:44,360 --> 00:00:46,280
Speaker 2: of what we want to find out. We really just

19
00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:48,600
Speaker 2: need to understand exactly what occurred, and we want to

20
00:00:48,640 --> 00:00:50,720
Speaker 2: do that as quippy as possible so that we can

21
00:00:50,720 --> 00:00:51,520
Speaker 2: get answers.

22
00:00:51,200 --> 00:00:54,520
Speaker 1: To what's the value in you guys, the electricity authority

23
00:00:54,560 --> 00:00:57,360
Speaker 1: doing an investigation of Transpower's already doing an investigation.

24
00:00:58,280 --> 00:01:02,400
Speaker 2: Well, we're the regulator and we're independent, so absolutely understand

25
00:01:02,400 --> 00:01:04,640
Speaker 2: that they would want to do their own investigation. But

26
00:01:04,800 --> 00:01:08,119
Speaker 2: we've got the ability to do that independent regulator investigation

27
00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,840
Speaker 2: into what happened. We're also really here on behalf of

28
00:01:10,880 --> 00:01:13,480
Speaker 2: consumers and so that's our job is to is to

29
00:01:13,480 --> 00:01:16,040
Speaker 2: help consumers have confidence in their electricity supply.

30
00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,480
Speaker 1: Do you have the power to force compensation or to

31
00:01:19,600 --> 00:01:22,960
Speaker 1: fine or to do anything like that.

32
00:01:22,520 --> 00:01:26,040
Speaker 2: We've got a range of powers, so this review, this

33
00:01:26,480 --> 00:01:28,319
Speaker 2: is something that we can do that looks into exactly

34
00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:31,280
Speaker 2: what happened. We've also got other powers that relate to

35
00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,120
Speaker 2: understanding if there's been any breaches of the rules and

36
00:01:34,240 --> 00:01:36,960
Speaker 2: ultimately what the consequences would be if there has been.

37
00:01:37,680 --> 00:01:41,200
Speaker 1: If you were to find that a Transpower crew was

38
00:01:41,240 --> 00:01:43,240
Speaker 1: working there and just under the bolts and the thing

39
00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,640
Speaker 1: fell over knocked out power to our whole region, what

40
00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:50,040
Speaker 1: powers would you have then to censure Transpower or punish them.

41
00:01:50,360 --> 00:01:53,280
Speaker 2: Well, it depends exactly on the circumstances, but we do

42
00:01:53,440 --> 00:01:56,640
Speaker 2: have powers that are quite broad, both in terms of

43
00:01:56,960 --> 00:01:59,920
Speaker 2: understanding what's occurred and in kind of the broader implication,

44
00:02:00,200 --> 00:02:02,960
Speaker 2: but also specifically if there has been a breach of

45
00:02:02,960 --> 00:02:06,080
Speaker 2: the rules, we've got powers there to enforce compliance with

46
00:02:06,160 --> 00:02:08,960
Speaker 2: the rules, and ultimately there are consequences for that. Right.

47
00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:10,480
Speaker 1: So it doesn't sound like you've got the power to

48
00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:12,760
Speaker 1: find and you haven't got the power to force compo right.

49
00:02:13,400 --> 00:02:16,400
Speaker 2: Oh no, no, no, no, we do so through our compensation

50
00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:20,000
Speaker 2: or through our compliance processes. There is ultimately the ability

51
00:02:20,120 --> 00:02:23,760
Speaker 2: for there's an independent tribunal called the Rulings Panel, and

52
00:02:23,360 --> 00:02:27,000
Speaker 2: they would ultimately be able to make orders that could

53
00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:27,799
Speaker 2: include compensation.

54
00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:30,600
Speaker 1: You can you only order compensation if there's been a

55
00:02:30,600 --> 00:02:32,600
Speaker 1: breach of the rules, or can you order compensation if

56
00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:35,480
Speaker 1: people have just been like unbelievably stupid.

57
00:02:36,560 --> 00:02:39,160
Speaker 2: Well, in our case, it has come down to breaches

58
00:02:39,200 --> 00:02:41,760
Speaker 2: of the rules that the powers that we've got. But

59
00:02:42,240 --> 00:02:45,000
Speaker 2: because we're doing this wider review, we've got the ability

60
00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:47,919
Speaker 2: to kind of get into exactly what's occurred and make

61
00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,480
Speaker 2: broader recommendations as well. So that's a big part of it.

62
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,280
Speaker 1: Are you considering sabotage here?

63
00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,680
Speaker 2: I don't have any specifics on what might have occurred.

64
00:02:56,800 --> 00:02:59,160
Speaker 2: I think the important thing for us is to find

65
00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:02,040
Speaker 2: out exactly what's said and here where are commanded to

66
00:03:02,080 --> 00:03:05,120
Speaker 2: understand exactly what's occurred. We'll be asking all the questions

67
00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:06,440
Speaker 2: and making sure that we're getting out.

68
00:03:06,440 --> 00:03:08,239
Speaker 1: How long is this investigation going to take?

69
00:03:09,440 --> 00:03:11,959
Speaker 2: Well, we want to move really quickly, So one of

70
00:03:12,000 --> 00:03:14,520
Speaker 2: the things we're going to do is to the investigation

71
00:03:14,600 --> 00:03:17,160
Speaker 2: in phases and that enables us to move really quickly

72
00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,760
Speaker 2: to get some answers early on, and then also balance

73
00:03:20,800 --> 00:03:22,840
Speaker 2: that we're doing a comprehensive piece of work as well.

74
00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:25,840
Speaker 2: So the first phase we'd be locking, we're still consuming

75
00:03:25,880 --> 00:03:29,040
Speaker 2: the scope in the terms of reference that we'd be locking.

76
00:03:29,120 --> 00:03:31,600
Speaker 2: Subject to that scope being confirmed, we'd be looking to

77
00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:33,240
Speaker 2: have something by the end of July.

78
00:03:33,680 --> 00:03:35,760
Speaker 1: Brilliant stuff. Hey, thank you very much, Sarah, appreciate it.

79
00:03:35,800 --> 00:03:39,400
Speaker 1: Sarah gaille CEO of the Electricity Authority. For more from

80
00:03:39,480 --> 00:03:42,720
Speaker 1: Hither Duplasy Alan Drive, listen live to news talks it'd

81
00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:46,800
Speaker 1: be from four pm weekdays, or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.