More than ever, the Mayor and Councillors look/sound totally STUPID, glib and unthought. That we didn’t ditch the whole Council in the October elections, we can punch ourselves for NOW.
Here is yesterday’s verbose media statement from Aurora Energy chief Grady Cameron. Just stick to the real facts Grady. Answer why (as a former award winning ‘young energy executive of the year’) you have unwittingly compromised Public Safety, Workplace Safety, and Industry Compliance. The Commerce Commission (the regulator) has already been on your tail – so no surprises there! Stop the blither and Man Up.
Aurora Energy urgently reviewing pole maintenance programmes
21 Oct 2016
In light of safety concerns raised earlier this week, Aurora Energy is urgently reviewing its maintenance programmes to identify if there are any outstanding safety risks not already being addressed.
“Specifically, we are re-checking that all poles needing replacement are appropriately tagged, working with the Energy Safety Service on compliance, and reviewing the rate and priorities of the existing pole repair and maintenance programme,” says Chief Executive Grady Cameron.
Aurora Energy is re-checking 2,170 poles earmarked for replacement to confirm they all have the correct safety tag in place as a visual reminder for line workers not to climb. “We are halfway through that process and will have completed remaining re-inspections in the next two weeks. This verification work started on 5 October as part of our ongoing commitment to health and safety.”
The Energy Safety Service has initiated a safety compliance audit of our maintenance programme and we are cooperating fully. It will be carrying out a compliance and safety audit, including a documentation review this month, followed by a site visit in November. “We welcome the opportunity to work with the Energy Safety Service to ensure our risk assessment for the on-going safety of our works programme is optimal,” says Mr Cameron.
By December this year, the company will have completed most of its $4 million pole maintenance and replacement programme, as set out in its annual asset management plan, and will look to allocate more funding in the second half of the year. The Board has asked for an immediate review of the timing and prioritisation of pole replacement. The Board also supports further acceleration and investment in Aurora Energy’s existing pole replacement, repair and inspection programmes to address the replacement backlog and align with industry regulations.
There are 54,000 wooden and concrete poles within the Aurora Energy network. Of these 1,181 are identified for replacement within the next three months and 1,729 for replacement in the next 12 months. Last year, Aurora Energy replaced 770 poles and carried out 8,300 condition inspections.
“Aurora Energy wants to reassure the public that the concerns about poor condition power poles and pole tagging are an urgent priority. We’ve committed more than $400 million to secure the future reliability of our network over the next 10 years,” says Mr Cameron.
Aurora Energy is New Zealand’s sixth largest electricity network, supplying electricity to 86,400 homes, farms and businesses in Dunedin and Central Otago.
[ends] Link
Or, Mr Cameron could have said we’ve failed, we’re broke, and we resign.
Royal we.
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Has Delta’s investment in failed subdivisions come at the cost of investment in core infrastructure. Council previously briefed on backlog of maintenance work, but no indication of anything “approaching the scale that may well now be the case”.
### ODT Online Sat, 22 Oct 2016
Call for heads to roll at Delta
By Vaughan Elder
A leaked internal email has revealed Dunedin City Council-owned Delta this year stopped prioritising work on its most dangerous power poles in favour of other work. […] Delta and Aurora Energy chief executive Grady Cameron declined requests for an interview yesterday […] In the leaked email, which was sent internally last week, Delta project manager Nigel Saunders called for urgent action to address a change in policy which meant “compromised poles” no longer had to be treated as “requiring support immediately”.
Mr Saunders said the change had been stated at numerous meetings, but staff had never been given written instruction of the change.
….[Mr Cameron] did not respond to a question about whether he should resign or whether investment in infrastructure had suffered because of Delta’s failed investments, including at least $13 million in bad debt it accrued over the Yaldhurst subdivision in Christchurch. DCHL chairman Graham Crombie did not respond to a request for comment yesterday.
Read more
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WorkSafe not advised by Delta of issues concerning pole replacement, only information had was from whistleblower Richard Healey.
### ODT Online Sat, 22 Oct 2016
Worksafe starts looking into Delta
By Vaughan Elder
Worksafe has started a safety review of Delta after a whistleblower raised serious concerns over the lines network it maintains. A Worksafe spokesman said its responsible division, the Energy Safety Service, had begun an immediate documentation audit, which would be followed by an on-site review at Delta in the middle of next month. It said its review was started following an interview with former Delta worker Richard Healey, who has raised serious concerns about the state of the network.
Read more
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Related Posts and Comments:
21.10.16 Dunedin City Council must hang the companies out to dry
20.10.16 Delta #EpicPowerFail : Delta fulfils Adam Smith’s 1776 Prophecy
19.10.16 Grady Cameron and Graham Crombie : Eyes tightly shut #FAIL
13.10.16 COMPLETE Dis-satisfaction with DCC, DCHL, DVML, DVL, Delta….
9.6.16 Aurora Energy Ltd warned by regulator
█ For more, enter the terms *delta*, *aurora*, *epic fraud* or *dchl* in the search box at right.
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Posted by Elizabeth Kerr
This post is offered in the public interest.
*Image: Aurora 2015 Annual Report (detail from cover by whatifdunedin)
What if? Dunedin... 