'Don't pretend you have made the situation go away' - Delta whistleblower

Monday, 30 October 2017

Former Delta staffer Richard Healey is concerned over the state of power poles across Otago.

Richard Healey is a worried man.

A year since quitting his design and project manager job at Otago lines company Delta, he remained concerned with the company's maintenance programme.

He went public after his colleague died in December 2010 after climbing a power pole that did not have a red 'do not climb' tag attached.

The whistleblower's action prompted an independent review and sparked the company, which was later split between Delta and Aurora Energy, to review and replace old power poles.

So far, 2260 poles of the 2910 identified for replacement, remediation or reassessment by the end of 2017 have been upgraded, Aurora Energy chairman Steve Thompson said.

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'We have prioritised work in and around public places such as schools and high pedestrian traffic areas.'

The fast track pole programme was 'on track' to remove any risk from the remaining 650 poles by the end of the year, he said.

Healey was pleased the company had replaced 10 times its annual average as part of the programme, describing it as 'a massive effort'.

'But don't pretend you have made the situation go away.'

He remained concerned some power poles, particularly in Central Otago, had been nailed rather than replaced.

Nailing often damaged the pole's foundation and made 'the situation worse', he said.

He also understood the company had identified more poles that needed fixing up since the fast track programme began.

Thompson said Aurora Energy's board 'understandably . . . prefers the advice of qualified and experienced industry experts and the use of well-established reinforcement methods, over the opinion of a single individual'.

'The board approved its introduction because it is fit for its intended purpose.'

He confirmed the company had identified an additional 500 poles would need to be replaced or repaired.

Thompson said up to 23 teams were working on upgrading poles across the network, with the safety work often resulting in power outages.

'We thank electricity customers for their patience while we carry out this work. We know the end result will have been worth the increase in outages, for worker safety.'

The $30 million project was expected to be finished in December, while more than 14,000 poles would be renewed over the next decade.

The company – a wholly-owned subsidiary of Dunedin City Holdings Limited owned by the Dunedin City Council – received negative press after it was revealed outgoing chief executive Grady Cameron received an annual remuneration to $980,000 as part of his exit package from the company.