NSW Government response to power outage in Far West NSW

The Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has commenced an investigation into Transgrid’s compliance with its regulatory obligations including licence conditions, as communities in the Far West region of NSW deal with uncertain power supply following a severe storm which destroyed transmission towers.

IPART has advised it is not yet clear whether Transgrid has breached its licence conditions.

The investigation will consider Transgrid’s management of its assets, including the transmission towers and back-up generators and whether the current failures of supply at Broken Hill breach the reliability standards included in its licence.

The NSW Government has declared an Electricity Supply Emergency for the Far West region of NSW under the Electricity Supply Act (1995). This is the latest step in the whole-of-government response to this natural disaster. The Premier signed the declaration this morning and it is effective until 10 November 2024.

This declaration will allow the Minister for Energy to give directions that are considered to be necessary to respond to the electricity supply emergency. As an example, directions could be made to facilitate the delivery of equipment and fuel to the area.

The NSW Government is making the declaration in case additional measures are required, if the back-up supply of electricity to the region is further interrupted.

A severe storm destroyed seven Transgrid transmission towers on Thursday 17 October, causing significant disruption to the supply of electricity to Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Wilcannia, Menindee, White Cliffs and several other surrounding communities.

The region is primarily relying on Transgrid’s large-scale back-up generator while the company constructs temporary towers which are expected to be in place by 6 November 2024, weather permitting.

Transgrid’s large-scale back-up generator tripped on Monday and has since been restored. This means the region has electricity supply, however it is possible power could be reduced in selected areas for short periods of time to protect the network from wider outages (known as load shedding).

This is most likely during the evening peak, so communities are being asked to reduce energy use where possible between 5.30pm and 10.30pm (Australian Central Daylight Time). Key steps include:

• Turning off any non-essential appliances.
• Using lights only in occupied rooms.
• If you are using air conditioning, consider raising the set point temperature to about 26 degrees and close all blinds, windows and doors.

Outside these times, the community should continue to use electricity as they normally would.

The NSW government’s coordinated emergency response involves a wide range of agencies to make sure communities are safe and supported. They include:

• NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
• NSW Police Force
• NSW Rural Fire Service
• NSW State Emergency Service
• NSW Health
• Ambulance NSW
• Education NSW
• Fire and Rescue NSW
• Transport NSW

A National Disaster Declaration has been issued, unlocking State-Commonwealth disaster funding for the Broken Hill and Central Darling Shire Local Government Areas.

For the latest updates from Essential Energy visit: https://www.essentialenergy.com.au/outages-and-faults/power-outages

Customers, including Life Support customers, can contact Essential Energy on its outage line on 13 20 80 for support.

Quote attributable to Premier Chris Minns:

“I want the community in the Far West region to know the NSW Government is working around the clock with the local member to fix this problem and ensure this doesn’t happen again. 

“Our number one priority is to get electricity back and to get the community back on its feet.

“When this utility was privatised, obligations were placed on it to ensure reliability standards are met in the case of a natural disaster.

“An investigation has commenced to understand what has happened and what further actions can be taken to ensure this doesn't happen again.”

Quote attributable to Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe:

“It’s crucial that the people of NSW can have confidence in the resilience of our energy system.

“We can’t prevent worsening natural disasters that cause power outages, but we want to ensure that standards have been met.

“Our priority is restoring reliable power supply to the people who live and work in and around Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Wilcannia, Menindee and White Cliffs. We thank these communities for their cooperation.”

Quote attributable to Member for Barwon Roy Butler: 

“I welcome this IPART investigation and the NSW Government’s demand for answers from Transgrid.

“The people of Far West NSW deserve a reliable supply of electricity and a robust back-up system that allows us to recover from natural disasters.

“I look forward to Premier Chris Minns travelling to Broken Hill tomorrow to assess the situation first-hand and meet the volunteers, workers, community leaders and locals who are coming together in these tough times.”