Power has been resupplied to communities in the far west region of New South Wales thanks to a large-scale back-up generator, with customers asked to minimise usage in the evening to minimise demand as repairs to the network continue.
The far west region is relying on the generator while Transgrid constructs temporary towers to replace those damaged by a serious storm on 16 November.
The New South Wales Government said that large-scale back-up generator is not adequate to meet consumer demand at all times of the day, in particular during the evening peak from 5:30pm to 10:30pm (Australian Central Daylight time).
During this time, Essential Energy may need to rotate power between different areas for around two hours at a time. Essential Energy said that it will prioritise Life Support Customers and priority loads such as Broken Hill Base Hospital.
The community in the impacted area can help by taking the following steps to minimise power use between 5:30pm and 10:30pm (Australian Central Daylight Time):
- Turn off any non-essential appliances
- Use lights only in occupied rooms
- When using air conditioning, consider raising the set point temperature to about 26º and close all blinds, windows and doors
Outside these times, the New South Wales Government said that the community should continue to use electricity as they normally would.
The impacted area incudes Broken Hill, Tibooburra, Wilcannia, Menindee, White Cliffs and several other surrounding communities.
The New South Wales Government said it has activated an emergency response and is coordinating assistance across a number of emergency services and government agencies and is working with Transgrid and Essential Energy.
A New South Wales Rural Fire Service b-double truck, which set off from Sydney loaded with supplies arrived in the far west to assist. The supplies include generators, fuel pods, cool rooms, lighting towers and Starlinks (satellite connections).
The New South Wales Government said it encourages community members to follow the guidance of emergency service crews and asks travellers to the far west of New South Wales to avoid the area surrounding Broken Hill, Wilcannia, Menindee and White Cliffs unless absolutely necessary.
Essential Energy said that to assist with keeping the power on while restoration work is undertaken, it vwill also be managing controlled load – or off-peak – electricity, so customers may notice their hot water units heating at times that differ to the normal.
The utility said that if there isn’t enough power available to meet customer demand, it may become necessary to interrupt power supply to some customers temporarily, to allow access to power on a rotational basis.
New South Wales Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe, said, “It’s positive news that power supplies have been restored to Broken Hill and nearby communities via a large-scale back-up generator. However, there is still a lot of work to be done to replace the transmission towers and repair the electricity network.
“I want to thank the Essential Energy and Transgrid workers who have worked tirelessly over the past two days to restore power.
“I also want to thank Perilya Mine for supplying load to the large-scale backup generator, which in turn, has provided security and stability to the Broken Hill grid and helped restore power to communities across the far west.”
New South Wales Member for Barwon, Roy Butler, said, “We are focused on restoring power to all homes and businesses in Broken Hill and towns across the region.
“We welcome the arrival of supplies including generators to support those on the ground.
“I encourage everyone in our community to please check in on your neighbours and relatives, especially those who are vulnerable, as we work through this situation.”
For more information on ways to reducing energy during peak demand events, visit https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/households/guides-and-helpful-advice-households/electricity-supply-disruptions
