Energy disruption: Broken Hill region 18 October 2024
A storm has impacted power supplies to Broken Hill and towns throughout the Far West of NSW. This has left a significant number of homes without electricity after transmission towers supplying electricity to the region were damaged.
If you live in this area, please minimise your energy use during peak times. Until electricity infrastructure can be repaired and returned to service, saving electricity can make a big difference for you and your neighbours.
You can help by minimising electricity usage until power is fully restored, specifically during the evening peak period between 5:30pm and 10:30pm Australian Central Daylight Time (ACDT). Please:
- turn off any non-essential appliances
- use lights only in occupied rooms
- minimise any heating or cooling use.
Outside of these times, the community should continue to use electricity as they normally would.
By making small changes at critical times, you can help the electricity network to get back to normal as quickly as possible.
More energy saving tips can be found at what to do electricity supply is threatened.
Damage to the transmission network is significant. At this early stage, repairs to the network are estimates to take at least a couple of weeks. The NSW Government is coordinating assistance across emergency services, government agencies, and electricity companies.
Visit the Essential Energy website for updates about this outage or call 13 20 80 for support.
Take action in the event of a disruption
Power cuts can happen unexpectedly due to equipment issues, natural disasters, or high demand during extreme weather like heatwaves and cold snaps. It's important to know how to stay safe and prepared.