Media Statement: January 24 outages and restoration update

We understand how difficult it is to be without power during such hot conditions and we thank customers for their patience during these local network outages.

At peak there were approximately 6,500 customers off power in the CitiPower and Powercor networks.

Our networks are designed and managed to cope with hot temperatures during summer, however these are extreme conditions we are experiencing and this can place stress and high demand on local infrastructure.

Outages on hot days can also happen for a range of other reasons, such as wildlife coming in contact with wires or car accidents.

Our network team has been monitoring the weather closely and been planning for the hot weather event.

We had extra crews available to respond to outages during these peak times and they are again ready to respond today and throughout the night if there are further outages.

In the lead up to extreme weather, it’s also important all customers are prepared for potential power outages.

We’d encourage customers to:

• Charge your mobile phone so you can ring your electricity distributor or another authority if you need to;
• Make sure you have a battery-powered radio on hand, which you can tune in to the frequency for your local radio station – this service will provide updates during widespread emergencies;
• Keep a torch and spare batteries handy;
• If your garage door is electric, ensure you know how to open it manually;
• Keep any other emergency contact numbers you may need on hand;

Customers should also stay well away from fallen powerlines and report them to our faults line, Powercor – 13 24 12 or CitiPower – 13 12 80.

Importantly, people need to take care of themselves during this heat and check on their neighbours if they are elderly or vulnerable.

Customers can keep updated on outages at powercor.com.au