During power outages, we first locate the cause and then, where possible, try to minimise the affected area by rearranging how the network is connected so as few customers as possible are inconvenienced. We can then safely make repairs to return things back to normal.

During widespread outages, we restore supply to essential services first. We then prioritise repairs to restore power to the largest group of consumers next and finally the smaller groups and individual consumers are restored.

We do encourage all our customers to take steps to prepare for a power outage, so if one does occur you can get through it comfortably and safely.

Planned Outages

A planned outage occurs when electrical lines or equipment have to be temporarily taken out of service for repair or to allow for network maintenance and repairs.

We recognise that this can be inconvenient for customers, but we aim to minimise the amount of inconvenience caused and we do this work to try to avoid bigger problems occurring down the track.

Unless undertaken in an emergency situation, a planned outage will be scheduled in advance, and every effort will be made to advise and consult affected customers of the outage before it occurs. We will always try and schedule the outage at a time that causes the least inconvenience to our customers, but because everyone’s circumstances are different some inconvenience is often unavoidable.

Unplanned Outages

The second type of power interruption is an unplanned outage, and is a result of the loss of a section of the network due to a fault, which can include:

• equipment failure
• cable faults
• accidental damage to a cable, pole or equipment
• storm damage
• earthquake damage
• trees or branch interference 

In these situations, there is no possibility of giving customers an early warning of an impending outage, but we will always work as quickly and safely as possible to restore supply.