Govt orders checks of pylon bolts

Press, 20 January 1982, Page 2

Govt orders checks of pylon bolts

PA;.. ; i- Wellington Electricity Division staff have been instructed to check eyebolts on power pylons. This results from the cracking of an eyebolt at the Bunnythorpe sub-station on December 28 which brought a 220,000 volt cable down on to a 110,000 volt “buzz-bar.” Most of the lower half of the North Island was without electricity for an hour as a result. The principal supply engineer in Wellington, Mr lan Crabtree, said the experts generally expected that the

'crack whs caused by. metal fatigue. “The . basic lesson of Bunny thorpe has been to check all the eyebolts now," said Mr Crabtree. ■ An investigation was also under way to examine the performance of the national grid's protective gear. The eyebolt was more than 30 years old and the wrong size for the loading. The division’s general manager, Mr Kevin McCool, said loadings had increased over the years. “The eyebolt was not quite • the right size,” he said. “It

? was not entirely old age." The Crown Law Office has been asked for an opinion on whether the . blackout was due to the division’s negligence. Seventy-eight claims totalling $11,642 for repairs to television sets damaged during the failure have been sent to the division. Mr Crabtree said the division had no legal obligation under its act to pay, except for negligence. A “surge’' when power is returned damages the parts in a television set.