Court SimonSIMON COURT (ACT): It's now two days after an avoidable and costly failure of our critical power infrastructure that caused blackouts across the North Island. We've heard from the Government we've heard from generators the grid operator and experts—what they think caused the blackouts. We've heard about a series of contributing factors which is what you always hear after an airplane crash or some terrible industrial disaster and that's very nearly what this was. Contributing factors: planned maintenance on a big hydro dam in the South Island took one of their units out of production a 400 megawatt gas-fired combined cycle power station in Stratford takes three days to fire up—that's because it's old it's ageing infrastructure—the Huntly generator taking 10 to 12 hours to fire up. That's not a text message away not like the McKee peaking plant those two 50 megawatt jet engines in Taranaki which are literally a text message and 20 minutes away from being fired up in an emergency. But they were already running at full noise as was the diesel oil generator in Whirinaki—that diesel oil generator that's a relic of a past Government intervention to provide additional peaking capacity that turned out to be so expensive and inefficient to operate that they sold it to the private sector because they knew that it was better the private sector take the risk on peaking and managing this dry-year supply.We've also heard about generators making profits from the Green member. Well it turns out—Barbara Kuriger: Ooh profit—that's a bad word!SIMON COURT: —that's right—that making profits is the reward for taking risk with shareholder capital and if you make sufficient profits you can reinvest that into your assets to give better service to your customers.David Seymour: Just blew Deborah Russell's mind.SIMON COURT: He he! Now we've also heard there's a lack of direct Government control over markets and that there's been a market failure. Well I've done some research into the Electricity Authority because imagine the Electricity Authority reporting to the Minister of energy. Imagine that their strategic ambitions include a low - carbon emissions distribution and supply system a consumer-centricity to guide regulation and decision making. Competition must be thriving yet there is no mention of security of supply or affordable electricity in this Electricity Authority's strategic ambitions. And we wonder why the Government is thrashing around looking for someone or something to blame because they haven't given the mandate to their own regulator—what should the priorities be?That's why ACT is seeking answers to some very basic questions. When will the Government and the Minister of energy Woods admit their part in this energy crisis that ACT forecast months ago? Will they change anything about their flawed energy policy which puts carbon emissions ahead of affordable and secure electricity like the ban on natural gas exploration when as recently as April 2020 an international exploration rig found a commercial gasfield that rivals our largest gas discoveries. It's right there off the coast of Taranaki but they had to abandon their programme because the Government wouldn't give them permits to stay here under COVID-19; they weren't regarded as essential. Well I tell you that energy is essential and we saw how essential it is on Monday night.We've heard about the Government's other crazy energy schemes like the threat to build an enormous hydro dam at Onslow drowning a UNESCO-level wetland and potentially with the Government's intervention stranding others' electricity investments stranding energy assets. Yet it's a lack of affordable energy that's damaging communities and making it harder for the Kiwi battlers who actually make things here in New Zealand to get on with their daily lives. The Government's energy policies have led to cuts or complete shutdown in production at mills in the Bay of Plenty. The Glenbrook steel mill is running in low gear and Methanex in Taranaki has shut off part of their production and 75 workers have lost their jobs permanently because that business making some of the greenest methanol in the world that goes into all of our household products has decided actually there is no long-term future.SPEAKER: Order! I'm going to do what I did with the previous member and ask him to come back to the debate in hand.SIMON COURT: Thank you Mr Speaker. Now this lack of gas not just for Methanex but to supply electricity producers like the Taranaki Combined Cycle unit at Stratford has led to shortages. Those shortages have led to increased energy costs and job losses. It has also left families who depend on those high-paid jobs those mums and dads now in distress and having to think about their futures. Yet despite all these other energy policy failings the Minister for energy is still blaming everyone else for this Government's failure to ensure that New Zealand has secure and affordable energy and that we do not have more blackouts because despite denials today the inference made in the House yesterday by the Minister of energy was that generators had for commercial gain taken a decision to limit the supply of electricity. That appeared to be on the face of it a deeply cynical excuse and suggests that power companies are OK with mums and dads and small children and elderly people left in the dark on one of the coldest nights of the year in pursuit of profit. What an appalling inference. I'm very very pleased that the Minister's representative has come to the House today and denied that as far as is practical.Then the Minister's claimed that the generators should have known to bring more energy on stream. Yet the Minister must be aware that generators will only respond to an actual declaration of an emergency and a direct request to fire up generation. They do not burn coal and burn gas and run power stations for free. The Minister has claimed that the market has failed yet we know the market price for electricity peaked at $250000 a megawatt hour. That sounds like the right signal to turn all the generators on.The Minister believes that the goal of 100 percent renewable electricity a goal which many have pointed out is impractical is actually the way to ensure secure and affordable electricity. Yet the Electricity Authority has stated and continues to state that that will require careful consideration which I understand is bureaucratic speak for very difficult if not impossible". We know that every time more renewable energy is introduced into a supply network that actually makes it more unstable because that energy is intermittent and cannot always be relied on. On Monday despite all the other contributing factors that led to the train wreck or the plane crash of blackouts across the central North Island the straw that broke the camel's back was actually when the wind stopped and the wind turbines stopped turning. That's when Transpower sent out the emergency alert: "We have run out of power."That is why ACT is demanding that the Government drop their ban on oil and gas exploration and let New Zealanders have a truly just pathway to a low-carbon future that preserves affordability and security of supply. We all know that natural gas has half the carbon emissions of coal. It is a truly just affordable and secure pathway to a low-carbon future. Let our businesses and our communities have affordable and secure electricity. Let's keep New Zealand jobs here. Let's manage our carbon emissions over the long term to meet our obligations because the alternative hardly bears thinking about: more blackouts more job losses and a poorer future. Thank you Mr Speaker."