Auckland businesses suffer wide-area power outage
Transpower, the regional power infrastructure company, reported that both the Auckland central business district and various city suburbs were impacted. The power failure occurred when overhead earth wires dropped into Transpower’s 110 kV switching equipment. High winds are thought to have caused the initial damage. The associated storm and snowfall caused other local power outages across the country. According to the New Zealand Herald, the Auckland City Council emergency operations centre was activated about 9.30am but Manukau City councillor Neil Morrison, who chairs the regional civil defence and emergency management group, said the group held a telephone discussion and decided not to activate the regional operations centre. Today businesses are evaluating the cost in lost business. Criticism has focussed on the lack of resiliency in the power supply network. The New Zealand Herald reports that ‘Prime Minister Helen Clark was among those who questioned the city's reliance on a single gateway substation between Otara and Otahuhu, saying the Government would seek answers from Transpower.’ Auckland City Council advice and updates
•Date: 13th June 2006• Region: New Zealand • Type: Article •Topic: Power man. |
