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Unplanned outages

Some outages are caused by unexpected damage or issues on our electricity network.

What causes unplanned outages?

Unplanned outages happen when our electricity network has an issue or gets damaged. This is usually caused by severe weather, fallen branches and trees, animals making contact with powerlines, traffic accidents, vandalism, theft and sometimes underground cable damage.  

When this happens, physical construction works are often required. This includes repairing or replacing assets, such as power poles or transformers. We always assess if we can fix a fault safely, which is sometime impacted by lighting, high winds, extreme heat, fires, physical location and local geography. 

How are unplanned outages restored?

  • 1. Remote restoration


    We first try and get the power back on remotely through our control room. This can be the quickest and safest way.

  • 2. Initial response


    If we can’t do this remotely, a first response crew will go to the site to investigate the issue. They will assess the outage cause and determine what next steps.

  • 3. Immediate repairs


    If the issue is minor or easily fixed, our crew will repair the issue and get the power back on.

  • 4. Complex repairs


    If more extensive work is needed, such as replacing infrastructure or working in difficult conditions, we’ll send a construction team to the site. This includes:

    • large trucks or specialised vehicles to replace poles or other damaged equipment
    • vehicles that carry cable repair equipment
    • civil crews for ground or structural work
    • traffic management for safety around roads and work zones
    • vegetation management if trees or branches are interfering with powerlines. 

What causes delays in getting the power back on?

Severe weather events

Severe weather events can cause strong winds, lightning, flooding and fires. This can disrupt supply to large areas of our network very quickly, cutting power to thousands of homes and businesses.

If the severe weather is ongoing, this means:

  • a fault can get worse while we’re repairing it
  • power outages can be impacted by larger outages nearby and become more complex to repair
  • your property can be impacted by more than one outage, so our crew need to repair more than one part of the network to get your power back on.

Safety hazards

Safety is our number one priority. Our crew always do a safety assessment when they get to a site. Sometimes, accessing the site takes longer than expected due to difficult terrain, fallen trees or flooded areas. In dangerous situations we often work alongside emergency services. 

If we find asbestos, we need to follow certain procedures to keep our crew safe. Weather conditions can also impact visibility, making it unsafe for work to continue. In these cases, our crew will need to wait for conditions to get better before they can continue.

Restoring essential services

Power outages to essential services (like hospitals, nursing homes and pharmacies) and infrastructure (like water treatment plants or telecommunications towers) are prioritised. This way, the community can continue to rely on these facilities while we work on repairing and restoring the rest of the network.

Fixing the largest outages first 

We attend to jobs that will help the greatest number of customers first. The number of customers who are without power depends on where the fault is. If a large transmission line goes down, thousands of customers will be without power. 

If a piece of bark gets stuck on a line connected to a house, it will only affect the power supply of that house. Our crew will attend to the distribution line fault first, so that more people can get their power back on sooner.

Waiting for specialised resources

Before we can repair damaged parts of the network, we may need to wait for a specialist team to clear fallen trees and branches around the site or a construction crew to bring specific equipment or materials to do the repairs.

 

How to stay updated


Outage Tracker

Outage Tracker shows information about current planned and unplanned outages in our electricity distribution network. This includes outage locations, statuses and the estimated time the power will be back on.

If you can’t find your outage by searching your address you can report it online or call us on 13 17 99.  

SMS and email notifications

We get your phone and email details from your electricity retailer (the company that sends you your electricity bills).

If your power goes out, we will send you an SMS and/or email if we have your details. To change how you get unplanned outage updates, see Manage your outage notifications.

Social media updates 

We often post extra information on our Facebook, including photos from our crews in the field, during large unplanned outage events. Follow us and your local council’s social media pages for important updates or potential relief centres near you.