The NSW government says recovery support will be available to residents of Broken Hill and the surrounding communities from next week.
Severe weather and a possible tornado knocked down seven transmission towers on October 17, leaving residents in Broken Hill and outlying towns without electricity for about two days, with disruptions to supply continuing in the week following.
Energy Minister Penny Sharpe said power had now been restored to the communities through back-up generators.
“The information as of right now is that there are no customers without power in the Far West region of New South Wales,” she said.
Workers repair powerlines in the Broken Hill region after a second blackout in a week. (Supplied: Transgrid)
Ms Sharpe said Recovery Assistance Points would be operational from Tuesday in Broken Hill, Menindee, Wilcannia, White Cliffs and Tibooburra.
“It provides face-to-face support and resources to help residents and businesses recover,” she said.
“That’s also where the food support — both vouchers and hampers — will start to be made available.”
Residents will be able to access mental health services, community not-for-profit groups and government representatives, including Service NSW, the NSW Reconstruction Authority, Vinnies, Red Cross, Legal Aid and the Insurance Council of Australia.
It follows Thursday’s announcement from NSW Premier Chris Minns about financial support for residents and businesses affected by power outages.
Each residential electricity account holder who lost power will be paid $200, and small-to-medium businesses will be eligible for $400 grants.
Sam Pickering says staff are working around the clock to repair the region’s permanent power supply. (ABC News: Lily Mccure)
Progress for region’s primary power supply
Transgrid operations manager Sam Pickering said as well as work on backup generators, massive re-construction efforts were underway to install seven high-voltage transmission towers to re-instate the region’s primary supply.
“I want to be clear that we cannot underestimate the size and scale of this operation and the need to ensure the safety of the community and our workers at all times,” he said.
“This is why periodic outages have been experienced since the catastrophic weather event as our crews work through a highly complex and challenging environment.”
He said the first temporary transmission tower had been erected, with a suite of towers connecting the region back to the grid expected to be installed “in the coming days”, as well as additional generators.
Broken Hill City Council Mayor Tom Kennedy thanked the community for coming together during the uncertainty. (ABC Broken Hill: Ben Loughran)
Mayor expresses disappointment
Broken Hill Mayor Tom Kennedy said he understood the community’s angst and lack of confidence.
“The community in Broken Hill is the best community in the whole world in my opinion, and we’re often referred to as the friendliest city but that doesn’t mean we have to be friendly right now,” he said.
“We have been let down over this period.
“A town of 20,000 people and the people in the surrounding areas shouldn’t have to have put up with that, but for the first time now I do have some confidence that things are moving in the right direction.”
Seven towers were damaged in the storm, leaving the region without power for days. (ABC Broken Hill: Bill Ormonde)
Ms Sharpe reiterated calls for residents to reduce energy usage in the peak evening period.
“Every little bit helps and what it does is it actually means that the chance of anyone having to lose power overnight becomes lower and lower,” she said.
The tribunal overseeing energy prices in New South Wales is investigating whether power infrastructure company Transgrid failed to provide a reliable supply to residents in the region.
“There are lots of questions that need to be answered and we’ll take those seriously,” Ms Sharpe said.
The transmission line that provides permanent supply to the Far West is expected to return to service by November 6.
