The battle of the pylons

An unsightly but necessary sacrifice to secure Auckland’s power or a “march of folly”? Transpower’s proposed 440kW line unleashed a public outcry not seen since the Clyde Dam proposal in the 1970s.  By Alan Titchall.

The battle of the pylons in the Waikato has been a two-year public relations war between Transpower, backed by the government, and outraged public groups, backed by local authorities. 

No one disagrees with the need to upgrade Auckland’s power transmission; the city has already suffered a crippling blackout caused by the failure of a substatation coupling  local distribution cables, and it certainly can’t afford a high voltage grid failure. 

Two years ago Transpower’s came up with an answer – the North Island Grid Upgrade involving a 440kV line running 200 kilometres from Whakamaru to South Auckland that will operate initially at 220kV and be used at the full 440kV when needed, which would allow expenditure on expensive substation equipment to be deferred. The original plan was to have it built by 2011.

In January of 2008, the Electricity Commission approved Transpower 440kV proposal, reversing a decision opposing it a year earlier, inciting fury from those opposed to the building of the 70-metre towers needed to hold the upgraded lines.

Lobby group New Era Energy Incorporated (NEE), filed a request for a High Court judicial review of the Electricity Commission’s decision. The group’s membership is made up of the likes of farmers and rural land owners who Transpower relies on to get access to its pylons, and who receive no compensation, but are expected out of ‘civic duty’ to provide access to the grid and even pull the odd Transpower vehicle out of the mud when they get stuck.

NEE supporters included Graham Pinnell, one the Electricity Commissioners, who claimed the proposal failed the commission’s Grid Investment Test, and local government representatives such as Auckland Regional Council chair, Mike Lee, concerned about the impact the project will have on the region’s rural land.

“I think Transpower would be very foolish to over-ride the strongly expressed views of the public. This is a march of folly,” Lee said at the time.

In August 2008, before the North Island Grid Upgrade Project was put through the RMA or Environment Court process that would have involved the nine local authorities affected by the lines, the Government ‘called it in’ under the act.

The size of the project and the huge amount of public interest, justified the call-in under the RMA, said the Government which then referred it to an independent Board of Inquiry chaired by Judge David Sheppard, a former Principal Environment judge.

The board was given the task of considering submissions on Transpower’s proposal, to hold public hearings and to make the final decision under the Resource Management Act.

After being inundated with more than 1200 submissions, hearings started in March 2008 and finished in early November.

Taking place in Hamilton, Takanini and Tokoroa, 152 submitters plus Transpower turned up to the hearings to present witnesses, evidence, and be cross-examined. The board also visited sites along the length of the proposed route.

The board will now consider the evidence and submissions and issue a draft written report expected out in early 2009.

Before the board makes its final decision, Transpower, the nine affected local authorities, all 1244 submitters and the Minister for the Environment will receive the draft of the report and decision, and will have 20 working days to send their comments to the board.

The original North Island Grid Upgrade project was conceived by Transpower when it was under the direction of Ralph Craven. The NEE group was hoping for “improved consultation” under the new chief, Patrick Strange, for its demands for “fair compensation” and rental for landowners impacted both by existing and new lines.

Looking back, Strange tells Energy NZ that he has no reason to believe he would have seen the proposal to upgrade the grid to Auckland any other way than what has been proposed.

“Every time our planners have looked at it, they believe the project is the right one. It would be very unusual to have a grid coping with growth if it didn’t step up in voltage from 220kV to 300kV or 400kV.”

The original national grid started at 50kV, then went to 66kV, 110kV and then 220kV, he adds. “Every time you make those step-ups there’s the question – ‘is it necessary’ – if we followed that argument there would be still 66kV lines through the Waikato.”

Strange admits Transpower did not do a good public relation job conveying that message.

“Plainly not. Because of the urgency of it, our communication could have been a lot better.”

Lesson have been learnt he says. “When we proposed to reinforce the Wairakei 220kV ring to the south, so the new geothermal generation can get away, we did things the other way. First we went to the community and said, ‘here’s the problem and the options’, before we went anywhere near planning.”

A farmer himself, Strange also says Transpower’s relationship with Federation Farmers has improved.

“Yes – we have our issues and we will continue to work with them and improve our performance, but they are also very rational in understanding the need for long-term investment. Rural issues have been a lot less emotional than we have found on the fringes of the cities.”

The problem of existing assets is endemic to New Zealand. “We don’t have easement to our transmission assets, we only have the Electricity Act and that’s an issue the Government may need to address in going forward.”

The ideal solution for the aged grid into Auckland would have been to start upgrading 10 years earlier, says Strange.

“The problem is – it was left too long. We should have taken a longer term view in the 1990s. Possibly, we would have still ended up with a 400kV line, but we would have had more time to communicate and talk about different voltage and route options.”