Nut removal caused tower fall, Transpower says

Monday, 24 June 2024

A press conference was held at the Ōtara Transpower premises

Transpower chief executive Alison Andrew says nuts removed from the legs of a pylon by a maintenance crew is thought to be the reason for the tower fall, which caused a significant power outage in Northland.

Andrew said it was ”inconceivable“ so many nuts were removed at once.

“The failure to follow procedure resulted in a significant power outage,” she told reporters on Monday.

Part of the maintenance work by the a crew involved the base plate, which secures the tower to the ground.

Omexom had a crew completing maintenance on the tower, and part of that work was on the base plates that connected to the tower.

A Transpower transmission pylon that fell in Glorit, North West Auckland, which caused a massive power outage in Northland

Omexom New Zealand managing director Mornez Green said what happened last week was unprecedented.

'What our people have done on site has caused this to happen,' Green said.

'They removed too many nuts from the bolts and this has caused the tower to fall over.'

Andrew said the crew working on the tower was stood down immediately and all base plate work across New Zealand was stopped.

Transpower chief executive Alison Andrew said all base plate work across New Zealand was stopped. Also pictured are Mornez Green, Omexom managing director (left) and Mark Ryall, Transpower head of grid delivery.

Andrew was grateful no one was hurt but said the failure to follow procedure resulted in a significant power outage that had a real impact on the people of Northland.

An internal investigation is underway, with Energy Minister Simeon Brown also asking the Electricity Authority to review the incident.

Brown said from Whangārei on Friday he would be considering whether to have an independent government review.

WorkSafe had been notified and was making initial inquiries to understand what had happened.