A storm-induced power failure in Broken Hill has exposed serious energy vulnerabilities.

An inquiry into Transgrid's operations follows a severe storm that caused major outages for 20,000 residents in Broken Hill and surrounding areas. 

The storm knocked down seven transmission towers, cutting off the main power line and prompting emergency response measures. 

Residents experienced intermittent electricity across Broken Hill, Wilcannia, and Menindee.

NSW Premier Chris Minns has declared a natural disaster and visited Broken Hill to meet with affected locals. 

Minns criticised the former Coalition government's privatisation of energy assets, stating it “let down” residents by leaving infrastructure in private hands. 

The premier noted Transgrid's failure to deliver reliable backup power, saying; “This was a privatisation failure”. 

Despite two backup generators being installed to prevent outages, both failed. 

Mayor Tom Kennedy accused Transgrid of "taking a gamble" by not upgrading them, saying; “One was broken, and they knew it was broken; the other wasn’t maintained well enough.” 

Transgrid disputed Kennedy's claim that one of the generators had been non-functional since November 2023, stating it was taken offline for refurbishment in September 2024. Emergency repairs are ongoing, with full restoration of the transmission line expected by November 6.

Reports say an agreement has been reached to switch on a battery in Broken Hill to help provide power to the local community.

Meanwhile, the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) has begun investigating Transgrid’s compliance with its regulatory obligations, seeking to determine whether licence conditions were breached.

Transgrid is reportedly working to install additional generators to stabilise supply. 

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