Power off this Sunday 8am to 4pm
Electricity network maintenance
POWER OUTAGE SUNDAY 5 FEBRUARY 2023
Essential Energy will be working in conjunction an authorised contractor to complete major maintenance on the high voltage electricity network that supplies power to the townships of Barraba, Manilla and the surrounding areas to ensure the ongoing reliability of the local power supply.
Acting Operations Manager Northern Tablelands, Ben Lock, said the combined projects involve the replacement of five high voltage power poles at various locations across the area along with various other network components that have reached end of life.
“These areas are serviced by one main powerline and electricity can’t be re-routed from an alternative source, so it’s vital that maintenance is completed to ensure the power network remains in peak condition,” Ben said.
To enable the work to be completed safely, a planned power outage has been scheduled for Sunday, 5 February 2023, between 8am and 4pm. More than 3,600 homes and businesses will be affected by the outage and have been notified in advance, including those in Upper Horton, Upper Manilla, Moore Creek and surrounds.
“On this occasion, given the area and the number of customers affected, it has been possible to schedule the works in conjunction with the authorised contractor to reduce the number of planned power outages affecting customers. The outage has also been scheduled for a Sunday to further reduce the overall inconvenience on the wider community,” Ben said
Traffic control will be in place at various locations during the works and residents are asked to follow all directions and detours.
“Significant planning has been undertaken, including bringing in crews from Armidale, Barraba, Inverell and Walcha to assist our Tamworth crews complete the maintenance work during the planned outage,” Ben said.
The scheduled works are reliant on suitable weather conditions and may be postponed if the conditions are unfavourable or any unforeseen circumstances arise.
“We appreciate that planned power outages may cause inconvenience for some customers however they are necessary to ensure a safe and reliable power supply and to also allow communities to grow,” Ben said.