Pole and hardware upgrades
We thoroughly inspect our equipment, performing any necessary pole and hardware upgrades, to build a more resilient network.
Working to improve reliabilityÂ
We’re focused on providing a reliable electricity supply and we're continuing to invest in the upgrade of our infrastructure.
Every pole (all 80,000 of them) across our network, is inspected every five and a half years. When defects are identified, it’s important that we undertake upgrade work to ensure they are rectified quickly and safely. This is why you may experience an outage in your area.
We understand the importance of your continual supply of power and we will do everything possible to ensure all work is performed quickly and safely, so your power is restored as soon as practicable. We apologise in advance, for any interruptions to your power supply while we do this work.
Important considerations during outages
- If you’re a customer who relies on essential medical equipment, please activate your back-up plan immediately. If you are not currently registered for life support and you require power for the use of vital medical devices, please call 131 003 to begin the registration process
- Some of the trucks used to repair electricity infrastructure are large and we may be forced to park across driveways to enable safe access to complete the work required. Talk to our crew when they arrive on site if you need access to your vehicle, they will work with you to find a suitable time
- Should there be adverse weather, the job may be rescheduled to another date – we know this is difficult where customers have made alternative arrangements, however our crew is unable to work on live wires during heavy rain or very strong winds
- In rural areas, access to private property may be required for repairs, safety inspections, or switching activities. Please give our staff access - your power supply may not be interrupted, but access to a pole on your property may be required to restore power to other properties
- If you have biodiversity risks associated with your property, please let us know by calling 131 003
What to expect when our team is on site
It typically takes one day to complete a pole upgrade. To perform the work safely, we must switch off the power to impacted poles and wires for the duration of the job.
We may need to drop off the new pole a few days prior the commencement of work. It will be safely placed on either the footpath or nature strip and clearly marked. In a small number of cases, the new pole may need to move by 1-2m away from the old pole position, depending on other assets in the area including gas, water and telecommunications.
On the day, you can expect to see our team members, along with one or two elevated work platforms to allow our team to work at height, as well as a crane borer truck to replace the old pole with a new one. Please note that this can impact traffic flow and may require the closure of some narrow streets.
Following the completion of work, we may leave old poles on site, as they require a special vehicle to pick them up. This can take three to five business days, however, please rest assured that we will collect them.
