The recently released Australian Seasonal Bushfire Outlook warned there was a high chance of an early start to the fire season in Victoria, and fires in the Gippsland region earlier this month attest to that.
The Australian Energy Market Operator has also warned that there is an increased risk of power outages this summer due to higher-than-usual electricity demand.
AusNet executive general manager network operations and safety Prue Crawford-Flett said energy reliability was a key focus, with preparations for the upcoming summer well under way.
“This year, for the region that spans from Longwood to Jericho to Springhurst, we’ve inspected 9142 power poles from the ground and via helicopter,” Ms Crawford-Flett said.
“These inspections resulted in proactive maintenance on 604 of these poles.
“Additionally, we assessed 23,155 spans, which is the area between two power poles, for overgrown vegetation and cleared 5026.
“This work is part of our commitment to improve safety and reliability ahead of the bushfire season.
“We invested $52.7 million this year on vegetation management programs to ensure the network is well maintained.”
This year marks the completion of AusNet’s Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter program as part of the Victorian Government’s Powerline Bushfire Safety program.
“REFCLs operate like a safety switch, rapidly cutting power to fallen or damaged powerlines before a fire can start, reducing the risk of bushfires in our communities,” Ms Crawford-Flett said.
“Our REFCLs have been built and tested over seven years and have detected a number of faults since 2018, potentially avoiding fires from starting.”
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