Power has been restored to more than 11,000 customers after a severe lightning storm damaged key transmission infrastructure in central-west Queensland.
When disaster struck a major high-voltage line on 14 November 2024, Ergon Energy crews worked around the clock to restore power to the impacted homes and business, with the outage spanning from Emerald and Clermont to Longreach and down to Blackall and Tambo.
The utility was able to restore majority of the affected properties overnight, but extensive repairs were needed to reinstate customers on the worst impacted sections of the network – where strong winds and lightning wiped out poles, downed powerlines and damaged transformers.
Ergon Energy completed the works to locate, fix and reinstate supply to the remaining 600 customers on 17 October 2024.
The utility said that assessing and repairing damage over such a vast area required excellent coordination between aerial and ground crews, and it acknowledged the efforts of visiting crews who supported its local teams, and thanked Santos for opening its Yuleba Camp to house the addition crew members when there was no local accommodation available.
Ergon Energy also thanked its customers and communities for their support and patience.
Featured image: Ergon Energy.
