- Hon Simon Watts
Improving the current system to better protect power lines from falling trees will protect the security of New Zealand's electricity infrastructure, says Energy Minister Simon Watts.
"Secure electricity lines are critical to electrifying New Zealand's economy and delivering the resilient and reliable electricity supply we need to power economic growth," Mr Watts says.
"Cyclone Gabrielle and Cyclone Tam highlighted the vulnerability of our infrastructure to severe weather events like storms and floods. During Cyclone Gabrielle alone, trees outside the Growth Limit Zone caused power outages that left 68,000 households without heating, lighting, internet, and access to essential appliances."
The Government has now agreed to amendments to the Electricity (Hazards from Trees) Regulations 2003, that will lower the risk to power lines from trees that are close to but aren't immediately beside the line.
"We're taking action to deal with the increasing risk of damaged infrastructure and support our adaptation to the changing climate," Mr Watts says.
The amendments introduce two key measures:
- Enabling lines owners to assess the likelihood and potential impact of a fall for trees they consider could be a risk to lines, then issue a Treefall Hazard Notice for moderate- and high-risk trees.
- Restricting the planting of new trees on land that is not already forested outside of urban areas.
"We have worked closely with lines owners and other impacted stakeholders to ensure we struck the right balance between security of our electricity supply, protecting property rights, and making sure the forestry sector's Emissions Trading Scheme-related revenues are not unduly impacted," Mr Watts says.
"This Government has made it clear that we are committed to unleashing transmission and distribution infrastructure on our mission to electrify the New Zealand economy. Ensuring the security of our network infrastructure is essential to delivering reliable electricity to all New Zealanders."
