Please supply omitted half-hourly data for April 2026
Nicky McLean made this Official Information request to Electricity Authority
The request was refused by Electricity Authority.
From: Nicky McLean
Dear Electricity Authority,
Via your organisation's web site https://www.emi.ea.govt.nz/Wholesale/Dat... some seven sub-directories give links to files containing data on the half-hourly generation and consumption of electricity at many places across the country, all grouped into monthly files. These data files contain hundreds of data series, with identifying name codes for each.
But suddenly, the data files for April no longer contained data for series that had been supplied in March, and for many months previously:
File 202604_Reactive_power.csv omitted data for names
LTN2201.MRPL.GG.MRPL.kVArh.N.F (e.g. March 1-17)
LTN2201.MRPL.GG.MRPL.kVArh.N.I (e.g. March 18-31)
File 202604_Grid_export.csv omitted data for names
STK0331.NELS.GN.TPNZ.kWh.X.F
STK0331.TASM.GN.TPNZ.kVArh.N.F
File 202604_Embedded_generation.csv omitted data for names
ATI2201.MRPL.HNET.DEF.X
MAT1101.BOPD.HNET.DEF.X
WKM2201.TUAR.HNET.DEF.X
STK0661.TASM.CNIR.COBB.I
STK0661.TASM.CNIR.COBB.X
MHO0331.ELEC.KING.MHO1.I
MHO0331.ELEC.KING.MHO1.X
And by contrast, some three dozen new data series appeared, with names from MHO0331.ELEC.CTCS.1.X to MHO0331.ELEC.WISE.1.X, all featuring the new name code part of 1 (the digit one, not I nor l) of unknown significance. For instance, guesswork: MHO0331.ELEC.KING.1.I and MHO0331.ELEC.KING.1.X might be related to the last two in the above list, but, all their values for April are zero.
My request is that you please supply the data for the omitted data series.
The presumption is that the associated entities continue to operate rather than vanish with March, and so data for their operation should continue to be supplied. It would be good to have definite identification of these entities, thereby facilitating searches of news media for reports of changes, for example. If there are changes.
Alternatively, data for them are being supplied, but under different name codes and possibly in different data files. If so, what might they be?
Or, data for those omitted series might be assimilated into the data being supplied for other series: if so, which?
Yours faithfully,
Nicky McLean
From: OIA
Electricity Authority
Kia ora,
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Level 7, AON Centre, 1 Willis Street
PO Box 10041, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
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From: OIA
Electricity Authority
Kia ora Nicky
Thank you for your request, received by the Electricity Authority on 1
June 2026, under the Official Information Act 1982, for the following
information:
"please supply the data for the omitted data series. [Metered data
datasets from March 2026]
The presumption is that the associated entities continue to operate rather
than vanish with March, and so data for their operation should continue to
be supplied. It would be good to have definite identification of these
entities, thereby facilitating searches of news media for reports of
changes, for example. If there are changes.
Alternatively, data for them are being supplied, but under different
name codes and possibly in different data files. If so, what might they
be?
Or, data for those omitted series might be assimilated into the data
being supplied for other series: if so, which?
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 29 June 2026, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received.
If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me by emailing
[1][Electricity Authority request email].
Ngā mihi nui,
Simon Skews-Poole ([2]he/him)
Senior Ministerial Advisor
[3][IMG]
Level 7, AON Centre, 1 Willis Street
PO Box 10041, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
[4]www.ea.govt.nz
show quoted sections
From: OIA
Electricity Authority
Kia ora Nicky
Thank you for your request of 1 June 2026, under the Official Information
Act 1982.
Please find attached the Electricity Authority’s response. If you have any
questions regarding our response, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Ngâ mihi nui,
Simon Skews-Poole ([1]he/him)
Senior Ministerial Advisor
[2][IMG]
Level 7, AON Centre, 1 Willis Street
PO Box 10041, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
[3]www.ea.govt.nz
From: OIA <[Electricity Authority request email]>
Sent: Wednesday, 3 June 2026 1:00 pm
To: Nicky McLean <[FOI #34829 email]>; OIA
<[Electricity Authority request email]>
Subject: RE: [External] Official Information request - Please supply
omitted half-hourly data for April 2026
Kia ora Nicky
Thank you for your request, received by the Electricity Authority on 1
June 2026, under the Official Information Act 1982, for the following
information:
"please supply the data for the omitted data series. [Metered data
datasets from March 2026]
The presumption is that the associated entities continue to operate rather
than vanish with March, and so data for their operation should continue to
be supplied. It would be good to have definite identification of these
entities, thereby facilitating searches of news media for reports of
changes, for example. If there are changes.
Alternatively, data for them are being supplied, but under different
name codes and possibly in different data files. If so, what might they
be?
Or, data for those omitted series might be assimilated into the data
being supplied for other series: if so, which?
We will endeavour to respond to your request as soon as possible and in
any event no later than 29 June 2026, being 20 working days after the day
your request was received.
If we are unable to respond to your request by then, we will notify you of
an extension of that timeframe.
If you have any queries, please feel free to contact me by emailing
[4][Electricity Authority request email].
Ngâ mihi nui,
Simon Skews-Poole ([5]he/him)
Senior Ministerial Advisor
[6][IMG]
Level 7, AON Centre, 1 Willis Street
PO Box 10041, Wellington 6143, New Zealand
[7]www.ea.govt.nz
show quoted sections
From: Nicky McLean
Salve Simon,
Thank you for your reply of the 26'th June. Despite your nearly four weeks of effort (thus just within the allowable limit for a response), there is not much to explain why a collection of unintelligible data series suddenly appear, nor why previously-supplied data series suddenly stop appearing, though NELS being assimilated by TASM does explain one disappearance as not being some sort of accident: thanks for that. And the heading from a schedule shows that the use of a code 1 (the digit) might not be a mistype, but does not clarify the reason for the sudden appearance of those three dozen series using it in their names nor the merit of now including them in the data file's collection of seemingly similar data series.
More seriously, the names involving the code COB are for the electric power generation at the Cobb hydro power station (though somehow attributed to the far-away substation at Stoke, not "at the generator's terminals" as is proper), and the reflux to the National Grid at Stoke due to that (plus any other?) local generation. The generation at Cobb can exceed 40 MW, well in excess of the 10 MW threshold you mention, yet now has vanished from any accounting.
But you say that the Electricity authority makes no use of these data, merely passing on what some other organisations happen to supply without interpretation or interest. So one wonders how the putative new data-supply system you praise could do any better at solving such problems when operated by the same organisation with the same attitude, even if its promoters promise that it will achieve everything. Though not of course, right now.
Vale,
Nicky McLean
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