Euroa region electricity supply

What caused these reliability issues

Over summer 2023-24 Euroa and the surrounding towns experienced repeated power outages.

The main causes of faults between 8 November 2023 and 31 January 2024 were lighting (33%), weather (32%), birds or animals (8%) and tree (6%).

The length and frequency of these outages were impacted by the November 2023 installation of bushfire mitigation technology (Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters - REFCLs) mandated by the Victorian Government in response to the Royal Commission into the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires.

This new technology acts like a giant safety switch in the electricity network, helping to protect communities by reducing the risk of electricity starting a bushfire. When a powerline falls or comes into contact with a tree branch or animal, it cuts the power to the whole powerline. We then need to physically find and clear the fault before turning the power back on. For more information, see Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter Program under our Completed projects.

Reliability improvements - what we're doing to fix it

In 2024, we invested $10 million on projects to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages.

We installed:

a switch that lets us change between the bushfire mitigation technology (REFCL) and traditional protection systems. This will allow us to maintain power reliability and effectively manage bushfire risk for the community at the same time
eight advanced reclosers and 11 single phase reclosers to:
- help us quickly identify where the fault is
- get the power back on faster
- reduce the number of people impacted by an outage at once.

We have also completed the following improvements:

additional support crews to improve restoration times
a scouting helicopter to improve response times
thermal imaging and proactive patrols to check the line for potential issues
repairs to defective equipment to improve control and response times
upgrades to technology to reduce the number of customers impacted by a power outage
mobile generators to support major events, such as the music festival and cattle show
a feeder portal plan to reduce the time taken to identify faults
45 new barriers to prevent animals from getting onto powerlines in areas where animal related faults have happened
changes to our operating procedures and REFCL settings for low fire days to reduce the frequency and duration of outages.

In the map below, the blue shows the powerlines that supply the area, with dots marking where the new technology will be installed.

A map showing Euroa and and surrouning suburbs

Total fire ban (TFB) days

On TFB days the bushfire mitigation technology (REFCL) will be operating on its highest setting which can reduce the risk of electricity starting a bushfire. While we’ve done a lot of work to reduce outages, this does mean that on TFB days the powerline will be at its most sensitive so there’s an increased chance of faults.

You can find our tips on getting power prepared at Prepare for an electrical outage.

What else are we doing?

We’ve also created the Strathbogie Benalla Community Group, made up of local representatives that regularly meet with AusNet to hear about what we’re doing to improve power reliability in the area and to share community feedback. For more information visit SBCG.

We’ve also recommended spending around $22 million on constructing an express powerline from Benalla to Euroa in our upcoming 2026–31 Electricity Distribution Price Review with the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). This will give this area a secondary supply by bypassing towns before Euroa. While this hasn’t been approved yet, we think we’ve put a strong case forward and will keep the community updated on the submission’s progress. For more information visit Electricity Distribution Pricing Review 2026-2031 Engagement.

Reliability improvements - what we're doing to fix it

In 2024, we invested $10 million on projects to reduce the frequency and duration of power outages.

We installed:

a switch that lets us change between the bushfire mitigation technology (REFCL) and traditional protection systems. This will allow us to maintain power reliability and effectively manage bushfire risk for the community at the same time
eight advanced reclosers and 11 single phase reclosers to:
- help us quickly identify where the fault is
- get the power back on faster
- reduce the number of people impacted by an outage at once.

We have also completed the following improvements:

additional support crews to improve restoration times
a scouting helicopter to improve response times
thermal imaging and proactive patrols to check the line for potential issues
repairs to defective equipment to improve control and response times
upgrades to technology to reduce the number of customers impacted by a power outage
mobile generators to support major events, such as the music festival and cattle show
a feeder portal plan to reduce the time taken to identify faults
45 new barriers to prevent animals from getting onto powerlines in areas where animal related faults have happened
changes to our operating procedures and REFCL settings for low fire days to reduce the frequency and duration of outages.

In the map below, the blue shows the powerlines that supply the area, with dots marking where the new technology will be installed.

Total fire ban (TFB) days

You can find our tips on getting power prepared at Prepare for an electrical outage.

Euroa region electricity supply

What caused these reliability issues

Reliability improvements - what we're doing to fix it

Total fire ban (TFB) days

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What else are we doing?

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Reliability improvements - what we're doing to fix it

Total fire ban (TFB) days