Update 4:00pm 2 September
AusNet restores power to more than half of customers
Over the last 48 hours, more than 300 AusNet crews have been working round the clock to restore electricity to more than 95,000 customers who were left without power, with approximately 83,000 still remaining.
Extreme winds have caused significant damage to AusNet’s network, with Moe, Warragul, Hampton Park, Lilydale, Drouin, Traralgon, Mt Evelyn, Narre Warren, and Wangaratta all without power.
Crews continue to assess the damage to network infrastructure, which includes downed powerlines, and damage to switches and poles as a result of fallen trees and branches.
Two helicopters are assisting ground crews with inspections in Gippsland.
AusNet said that it anticipates that some customers will remain without power overnight on Monday 2 September, and potentially for a number of days. The utility apologises for the inconvenience and assures the community it is doing everything it can to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
Update: 7:00am 2 September
Widespread outages as AusNet battles hazardous winds
Approximately 112,000 Victorians are without power following extreme winds on the night of 1 September.
The impacts are across AusNet’s network, but the towns of Moe and Warragul are without power.
AusNet said its crews are in the field currently assessing the damage. It warned that the weather is still affecting the network and it is a very hazardous environment, so works may take a little longer than usual and it may be more than 24 hours before power is completely restored – particularly in more remote areas.
AusNet will update estimated restoration times on its Outage Tracker once crews have made damage assessments, and urged people to keep away from any fallen or damaged powerlines and to assume any wires are live.
Update 4:00pm 29 August
AusNet battles longest sustained weather event
AusNet teams continue to battle against the longest sustained weather event the network has faced in more than a decade – with around 2000 customers still without power.
Since the strong wind conditions began on Sunday 25 August, approximately 93,000 AusNet customers have experienced power outages – with some homes being impacted more than once. The primary cause of the outages is damage to powerlines and poles caused by fallen trees, branches and debris.
AusNet recognises that this is challenging for households and businesses, and assures the community that it is doing everything it can to restore power as quickly as possible.
AusNet said that it has more than 400 personnel and two helicopters in the impacted areas and is well resourced for any further faults that emerge. In addition to focusing on long duration outages, AusNet’s priority is to restore power to faults affecting large numbers of customers.
AusNet said that it currently has approximately 2000 customers without power. The most impacted areas are in Cardinia Shire, Baw Baw Shire and Yarra Ranges, with the largest single fault in Drouin (523 off-supply).
While weather conditions were less severe on Thursday 29 August, AusNet said it expects conditions to deteriorate overnight and continue to impact the network through to Monday 2 September.
AusNet encourages customers who currently have power to get prepared by charging mobile devices and batteries.
Update 28 August
AusNet crews are working around the clock to restore power outages caused by windy weather on 27 August, which is impacting customers in central and eastern Victoria.
More than 10,000 customers were without power as a result of 78 individual faults, and AusNet said it anticipates having all those customers who were off supply overnight restored by 6:00pm on 28 August.
The wind continues to impact the network with new faults occurring all morning and early afternoon. The majority of outages are being caused by trees, branches and debris hitting powerlines. The most recent update from AusNet said that there are currently more than 9,000 customers without power.
The AusNet restoration crew is well-resourced, and the network provider has more than 400 people on the ground responding to incidents.
AusNet’s Emergency Management Mobile Assistance (EMMA) vehicle and community engagement teams were deployed on the morning of 28 August to Monbulk, Belgrave, Emerald, Cockatoo, Gembrook, Hoddles Creek, Launching Place, and Woori Yallock, and AusNet invites customers to chat to its teams when they see the vehicle.
AusNet said that it will continue to assess the need for mobile generation in key areas and that customer and community safety continues to be its priority.
27 August
Sever weather has been forecast across Central and Eastern areas of the AusNet network, with the utility urging Victorian customers to prepare for potential power outages.
The extreme weather began on Tuesday 27 August and is expected to continue on Wednesday 28 August, and potentially through the weekend.
The Alpine region may experience winds of up to 130km/hr. Seymour, Wallan, Rubicon, Mansfield, Lilydale, Beaconsfield, Leongatha, Warragul, Sale and Traralgon may experience winds of up to 100km/h.
AusNet said it has additional field crews available and can call on more resources if needed, but restoration times may be longer than expected depending on the severity of network damage.
The network provider has temporarily stationed generators in Emerald, Cockatoo and Mirboo so they are ready to be connected to provide backup power if the storm impacts the network. They may be relocated to areas of most need as the storm impacts become clearer.
AusNet will also be deploying its Emergency Management Mobile Assistance (EMMA) vehicle and community engagement teams to where and when they are needed.
AusNet said that customer and community safety continues to be its priority, and the utility will be communicating with customers throughout the week to keep them informed about any outages and restoration efforts.
For tips on how to be power prepared, visit www.ausnetservices.com.au/outages
AusNet said that customers can keep up to date about power restoration assessment and restoration times via its Outage Tracker: www.outagetracker.com.au.
Featured image: Graham Drew Photography/shutterstock.com
