Over the period of October 27-29 delegates from Power Network, Generation, and Contract Maintenance Companies will be
meeting in Methven to assimilate the latest technologies and services to improve power system reliability and enhance
other electricity consumer-related outcomes.
Hailed by the organisers as being of world-class standing, the gathering is claimed to be the first such event held in
New Zealand for many years.
Consumer-driven reforms in the NZ Electricity Industry were initiated by a damning report delivered by the Ministry of
Consumer Affairs in January 1997 which identified many areas of monopoly abuse and consumer supply contract
shortcomings. The 1998 Electricity Reform Act progressed the reform process significantly with a major legislative
impact on the Power Industry aimed at delivering the Consumer lower pricing. Further formal reform this year controlling
pricing and reliability of supply was unsuccessful but nonetheless has essentially been embraced by most Industry
sectors.
Convened by internationally-regarded Christchurch-based power technology leaders, AVO New Zealand and AVO New Zealand
Consulting, the Conference is already being applauded as a concerted response by the Industry to demonstrate to the
Consumer its commitment to delivering both the intended and implied outcomes of the recent power industry reform
process.
"AVO New Zealand has long been concerned at a rapidly-declining public confidence in the Power Industry, particularly
fuelled by the Mercury incident and a raft of adverse viewpoints expressed during the last round of Industry reforms",
comments Managing Director Mr Trevor Lord, himself a power engineer.
"Whilst there were certain commercial and technical areas of the Industry where focus was merited, the connotations
delivered publicly during the process failed to reflect the fundamental technical competence and long-standing
customer-driven focus of the Industry", Mr Lord states.
"Supplying electricity to the Consumer is essentially a very technical process. Recent Industry reforms have served to
restore the Industry's focus to that process in a positive manner, clearly centred upon the Consumer outcomes. This
event aims to deliver more refined tools to ensure power systems have increased reliability, that the incremental costs
of this are minimal, and that any supply problems that arise are either pre-empted through good diagnostic processes or
are made good even quicker", explains Mr Lord.
"For over three years AVO New Zealand have delivered an active consultancy, training, and re-equipping programme
focussed upon delivering a higher and more uniform level of Power Industry "best practice". Whilst there is still a
distance to go, this has been a major success to date and of immense benefit to the consumer already".
"With few comparable forums offered world-wide, AVO decided to extend our Industry services by bringing such a forum
and international authorities to NZ. Given the high level of Industry support for this Conference from Generation,
Transmission, Distribution, and Contracted Maintenance sectors of the Electricity Industry, it serves to present to the
Electricity Consumer a very significant demonstration of on-going Industry commitment to satisfying the Consumer's wider
expectations from the reforms", says Mr Lord.
Those attending the Conference will be addressed by at least 11 authorities in their fields, many travelling from as
far afield as the UK, USA, and Australia. Also, several new diagnostic technologies for assessing condition of
generators, transformers, cables, and switchgear are to be released for the first time at the event.
With registrations being in popular demand, the Conference is drawing attendees also from throughout the Pacific and
Australia.
ENDS...