As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact Australia, utilities around the country are taking action to ensure the delivery of essential services and keep their workforce and customers safe. Below are three case studies of Coronavirus responses from utilities. Maintenance continues to keep Tasmanian drinking water safe TasWater has affirmed that its priority is to provide safe and reliable drinking […]
Updates 7 May Two more water utilities join national ColoSSoS project Central Highlands Water and Goulburn Valley Water have joined a nation-wide research project to test wastewater networks for traces of the virus that causes COVID-19. Read more 6 May Ausgrid launches campaign for workers abused during COVID-19 Ausgrid has launched a new social media campaign to request the public’s […]
Australia and the US have signed a landmark deal, allowing Australia to lease space in the US Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) to ensure access to emergency oil supplies in the event of a major global disruption. The Australia-US Arrangement will make it easier for Australia to access locally-owned oil during a global emergency. Energy and Emissions Reduction Minister, Angus Taylor, […]
Western Australia Minister for Water, Dave Kelly, has declared a water deficiency for Salmon Gums in the shire of Esperance, making it the tenth water deficiency declared for WA since May 2019. The official declaration follows an application from the Shire of Esperance on behalf of eleven farmers in Salmon Gums. A declaration is made as a last resort after […]
The South Australian Government and local battery manufacturer sonnen will offer each householder who rebuilds their home after the bushfires a free home battery. Minister for Energy, Dan van Holst Pellekaan, said, “Installing a battery as part of the rebuild will help make bushfire victims new homes more sustainable, more resilient and allow them to access cheaper electricity. “People who […]
Water deficiency has been officially declared in Dumbleyung and Kent in the Great Southern and Wheatbelt regions, Western Australia, after continued dry conditions have depleted on-farm and local community water supplies. Water carting commenced on 21 February to the Kukerin area of the Shire of Dumbleyung and Hamilton’s area of the Shire of Kent, giving affected farmers access to emergency […]
Precautionary measures taken by WaterNSW in response to unprecedented bushfire damage and the largest rainfall event since 1990 have enabled it to successfully protect Sydney’s dam water quality. Warragamba Dam will resume supply of raw water to the Prospect Water Filtration Plant (PWFP) after WaterNSW experts made a considered decision to draw upon Prospect Reservoir as a precaution in case […]
Water quality experts at WaterNSW have been working to maintain water quality in Sydney’s largest catchment after significant amounts of ash and debris were washed into Warragamba Dam following recent rainfall. During December and January, more than 320,000ha of the Warragamba Catchment was ravaged by fire. Since then, WaterNSW experts have been working to understand the potential consequences of the […]
The NSW Government has repealed temporary irrigation restrictions made for the Bega and Brogo Regulated Rivers due to heavy rainfall leaving Brogo Dam overflowing. At the time of the section 324 order, the Bega and Brogo Regulated Rivers Water Source was in drought stage 2 (emerging water shortage) and was later escalated to the highest stage 4 (critical drought). Brogo […]
According to the Clean Energy Council (CEC), regulatory reforms for microgrids and standalone power systems need to be fast-tracked to enable the safest, most reliable and most cost-effective technologies to be employed in bushfire recovery. The use of microgrids and off-grid systems for remote areas would deliver huge savings on the investment needed for network replacement and maintenance. The Australian […]
Water Corporation is having to cart water to town tanks, standpipes and other storages to Western Australian communities impacted by little to no rainfall in recent months due to climate change. Water Corporation is carting about 11 million litres of drinking water each week to Cranbrook, Grass Patch, Hyden, Lake King, Varley, Rocky Gully, Wellstead, Salmon Gums, Ravensthorpe and Walpole. With dry […]
As part of a partnership with state-owned utilities Energy Queensland and Powerlink, State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers in the North Coast Region have received more than $40,000 worth of new equipment. Minister for Fire and Emergency Services, Craig Crawford, said new equipment ensures the region’s orange army can face a range of emergencies during the severe weather season. “Since 2015, […]
Seqwater’s Canungra Water Treatment Plant in Queensland has returned to normal operations following recent rainfall. Now that the Canungra Creek is flowing again, there is no longer a requirement for tankering water to the town. Queensland Urban Utilities spokesperson, Michelle Cull, said although the water treatment plant is back online it was still important for everyone to continue to be […]
By Kate Crawford, Paul Reed and Roshni Sharma, Locate20 Organising Committee Communication is vital to keep communities affected by bushfires proactive, resilient and prepared. The 2019/20 bushfire disasters have heightened public awareness of the need to improve communication within communities and with officials about danger and to locate resources in chaotic conditions when normal services are not available or visibility […]
AusNet Services will support customers affected by bushfires in Gippsland and the Upper Murray regions by putting in place special assistance measures. Many customers in these areas have already experienced lengthy power outages. For a small number of customers, the severity of the damage to the electricity network and the ongoing fire and safety conditions means it will be weeks […]
A potential pipeline could be delivering water to Queensland’s Southern Downs and Granite Belt by the end of 2020 as Warwick’s Leslie Dam inches towards its minimum operating capacity. Experts have already nominated a likely route using existing road and rail corridors. Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has inspected progress in Warwick and said that it meant one thing: delivering the pipeline […]
Water use across Greater Sydney has fallen on average by 10 per cent following an eight-month marketing campaign by Sydney Water to encourage people to reduce their water use as the region experiences one of the worst droughts on record. Average water demand has continued to drop, with an 11.9 per cent saving in October, a 15.3 per cent saving […]
The ACT Government and Icon Water will provide temporary water relief to Braidwood, NSW, after its water supply dried-up due to low inflows and bushfires in the region, following a request from Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC). The temporary arrangements for an amount of between 250 and 300kL per day will be in place for up to six months as QPRC […]
SA Water’s Middle River Water Treatment Plant on Kangaroo Island is back to supplying around 1,500 customers on the Parndana to Kingscote supply network with clean, safe drinking water after bushfire damage rendered it inoperable. Significant damage was caused to the plant’s electrical equipment, remote monitoring and network communications systems, as well as several buildings on site, by the Ravine […]
East Gippsland Water will receive three of Western Water’s ‘Siltbuster’ clarifier machines, designed to remove sediment from water, to assist operations in areas affected by bushfires. Combined, the clarifiers are capable of processing 108,000 litres of contaminated water an hour. They are a vital addition to treating water sources with high levels of sediment, prior to the water entering a […]
EnergyAustralia will aid communities and customers affected by bushfires through a package of measures aimed to provide immediate relief and support the rebuilding process, including a contribution of $125,000. EnergyAustralia has put energy bills on hold for customers who have been directly impacted by the fires. This is done automatically and customers do not need to apply. For customers who […]
WaterNSW has expanded preparations to limit potential impacts on the water quality in dam storages as rain is forecast across NSW from Thursday 16 January to Monday 20 January. Following recent bushfires at Warragamba Dam, in the Shoalhaven, on the South Coast, Blue Mountains and the Riverina, the NSW Minister for Water, Melinda Pavey, said the government’s priority is protecting […]
Powercor has received a reduction of $21 million from the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) on the amount its customers will pay for the installation of crucial bushfire safety technology under Tranche 3. Victorian distribution network businesses must install Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters (REFCL) following recommendations from the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission. These businesses applied to the AER for […]
After the catastrophic fires of Friday 20 December and Friday 3 January – the largest of which have been at Cudlee Creek in the Adelaide Hills and on Kangaroo Island – the safe restoration of power to customers is now a priority for electricity distributor SA Power Networks. Safety takes many forms. Initial access to firegrounds to inspect the damage […]
South East Water will provide emergency water relief on behalf of the Victorian water industry to residents without drinking and domestic water supply, due to tank contamination as a result of bushfires in north-east Victoria and East Gippsland. South East Water will be a ‘one-stop-shop’ as the initial contact point for bushfire-affected residents, as well as coordinating the delivery of […]
Essential Energy has been working since 1 January to restore power to more than 37,000 customers left without power following bushfires that affected the South Coast, Riverina and Snowy Valley areas of NSW. With a highly coordinated and focused response, just over 90 per cent of customers affected by power outages have had power restored. Despite working in firegrounds affected […]
The Middle River Water Treatment Plant on Kangaroo Island, which supplies more than 1,500 customers, has been rendered temporarily inoperable after sustaining significant damage by a bushfire front that went through the area on the night of 3 January. Damage was caused to the plant’s electrical equipment, remote monitoring and network controls and communications systems, as well as several buildings […]
WaterNSW is to transfer water from Windamere to Burrendong dam via the Cudgegong River to secure vital supply in the Macquarie valley. Burrendong Dam is currently at 1.8 per cent of capacity and experiencing acute drought conditions, with chronically low inflows in the past 12 months and a predicted storage capacity of 1.2 per cent by the end of January. […]
AGL will contribute $200,000 to the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) to provide immediate financial assistance to those impacted by the Gippsland bushfires. AGL Loy Yang acting General Manager, John Kienhuis, said it is important for the company to support the community it operates in. “We have around 600 employees and hundreds more contractors here at Loy Yang, and I […]
Hundreds of Essential Energy’s power poles and associated electrical infrastructure in south-east NSW have been damaged due to bushfires and some will require a comprehensive rebuild when crews can gain access, leaving some customers without power into mid-January. On New Year’s Eve, more than 37,000 customers were left without power as fires tore through south-east NSW, including the South Coast. […]
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