Electricity Authority scrabbling to cover up its mistakes

Electricity Authority scrabbling to cover up its mistakes

"Expert criticism of the Electricity Authority's botched cost benefit analysis has sent them scrabbling for cover as they offer up an online Q&A session with the authors of the cost benefit analysis, Oakley Greenwood ", spokesperson for a group of interested parties Kim Campbell said today.

The Group includes EMA Northern, Top Energy, Northpower, Counties Power and its consumer trust, Vector and its consumer trust Entrust, Auckland Federated Farmers, Norske Skog, Auckland Airport and Trustpower.

"The process the Electricity Authority has used to change the way we pay for power is deeply flawed.

"Holding an online Q&A session, and heavily restricting the scope for questions means the Electricity Authority can continue to avoid answering fundamental questions like:

• You have now made numerous changes to the calculations, many of which would not have come to light had it not been for the work of submitters. Do you think that is a satisfactory situation?

• Given the number and in some cases significance of the computational errors, what should we say to our 4000 member businesses about what faith they can have in the cost benefit analysis?

• The EA Board meets on April 5 to decide on TPM Guidelines based on a cost benefit analysis that you created. Does your firm have any apologies to make given that we are having a Q&A session only a few days out from that meeting?

• Does the timing of this Q&A session so close to the EA Board decision suggest to Oakley Greenwood that CBA errors are being taken seriously and will be heeded, or are we and OGW just going through the motions to try and make the process look good?

• Does the sheer volume of questions about calculation errors concern you, especially at this late stage?

• Did Oakley Greenwood make the decision that questions could only be asked about calculation errors, not modelling errors, and if not, who did?

"If the foundations of your house are cracked, remodelling the kitchen isn't going to keep your house from collapsing. If the basis for which the EA is proposing to change the way we pay for power is wrong, online Q&A sessions will not fix what is fundamentally wrong with their proposals to date.

"It's time the EA stopped scrabbling to cover up their mistakes, and started acknowledging that they have botched the TPM review and need to go back to the drawing board.

Attached: Full copy of questions submitted to the EA on behalf of group members

QandA.PDF

© Scoop Media