A couple of months back we flagged a useful discussion paper from the Energy Hardship Expert Panel and have now released our submission on some of the questions raised.
Electricity Networks Aotearoa (ENA) has been unveiled as the new brand for the peak body for electricity lines companies, complementing its repositioning as a higher-profile, climate-focused and inclusive organisation.
We asked electricity lines companies how much increased spending they anticipate will be required on building and operating their networks through to 2050.
What we found is that the majority expect to begin upping this spend pretty heavily, by more than 20%, this decade. This would carry on through to 2040.
A ‘heatmap’ has been launched on the Electricity Network Association (ENA) website providing a visual demonstration of the significant investment drivers on electricity networks over coming decades.
The initiative will deliver key information on both the challenges and opportunities being faced as well as the sector’s proactive transition to a low-carbon, electrified economy, says ENA chief executive Graeme Peters.
ENA CEO Graeme Peters discusses much-needed sector investment in resilience and the transition to a low-carbon, electrified economy with Morning Report's Kim Hill.
ENA CEO Graeme Peters on what lines companies learned from February’s cyclone
The phone calls started soon after the wind died down. Members of the Electricity Networks Association are ringing. Frustrated, disappointed, angry – noting how many of their customers are without power. Most homes and businesses are in the dark because trees have fallen into nearby power lines, causing outages from hours to weeks.
As electricity lines companies around New Zealand last week rallied to provide an unprecedented level of support to their cyclone-afflicted colleagues in the North Island, the country's logistics fragility hampered proceedings.
Electricity sector praise from Minister of Energy and Resources Megan Woods has been gratefully acknowledged, but the ENA warns the full post-cyclone power recovery in the North Island will be a long-term project.