Brian McGlinchy

Brian McGlinchy is an engineer who has played a significant role in the New Zealand electricity supply industry and the work of the EEA. He is an engineer who has spent the last 45 years being a part of, and influencing the shape of, the New Zealand electricity supply industry. 

Brian McGlinchy was awarded his BE Electrical from the University of Canterbury in 1962. From graduation in 1961 until 1988 he worked for the Electricity Department in a number of positions of increasing responsibility relating mainly to power stations. This included responsiblity for the operation of Manapouri power station, just after its commissioning. In a later position he was responsible for the Department's power station siting programme which included investigation into a wide range of generation options and their environmental impacts.

In 1988, following the formation of ECNZ, he moved to the Electricity Supply Association of New Zealand where he became a member and worked jointly with Roger Wills of the EEA on a number of projects. He was responsible for providing technical advice on matters relating to electricity supply. This included bulk and retail tariffs, contracts for bulk supply, end use statistics, performance indicators, analysis of ECNZ performance, advice on local generation issues, environmental and planning matters, and preparation of submissions on various discussion documents.

As their only professional engineer at ESANZ, Brian provided input on a very wide range of subjects.  Brian acted as the executive officer to numerous working parties, preparing papers for their meetings and with their approval took the necessary action. In the transition to the competitive market which took place between 1990 and 1995, he was responsible for developing many of the detailed processes that were needed to implement the reforms. 

Some of these include:

    • Separation of line and energy charges.
    • Transmission pricing and contracts.
    • Cost of rural supply.
    • Development of use of system agreements.
    • The Metering and Reconciliation Information Agreement (MARIA).
    • The metering codes of practice.
    • The travelling test watt hour meter
    • The distribution reliability statistics programme.
    • A code of practice for signalling on distribution networks.
    • Standard distribution reliability indicators.
    • A code of practice for quality assurance of revenue meters.

Brian worked with the EEA on many of these subjects, and he organised and spoke at seminars to explain the proposals and receive feedback from those who were affected.

Brian was responsible for managing the statistical database relating to a variety of power company activities. He provided informal advice and made formal submissions to the Ministry of Commerce on their Information Disclosure and Statistics Regulations. 

Other submissions of note by Brian include:

    • Parliamentary Enquiry into ECNZ pricing 1991.
    • Enquiry by Former Chief Justice, Sir Ronald Davison into the 1992 Electricity Shortage.

Since 1998, Brian has been a consultant electrical engineer. He has assembled and published seven volumes of statistics relating to the reliability of distribution networks, developed several computer based network reliability programmes and has completed several studies for lines companies assessing the effects of changes to network configuration.

Brian has also carried out work for both the EEA and the Electricity Networks Association relating to reliability and other operational issues; for the Ministry of Economic Development on Information Disclosure Regulations, reliability and asset management plans; and more recently he has assisted the Networks Branch of the Commerce Commission in a review of network reliability and asset management plans.

Brian has published 13 papers, which have been presented to both NZ and overseas conferences. He is currently the Chairman of the Wellington Branch of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (formerly IEE), and has also been Hon Secretary (1998 to 2003), NZ representative on IEE Council 2002/03, and Chair NZ Forum 2003/04 and again in 2006/07.

Brian McGlinchy

Brian McGlinchy receives his Award from EEA President, Greg Skelton.

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