Energex congratulated for historic disaster response

Energy Minister Mark McArdle will visit two Energex depots tomorrow to thank staff for their unprecedented response to restoring power to Queensland homes and businesses in the wake of Cyclone Oswald.

Minister McArdle said he would personally meet Energex workers at Greenslopes at 7.00am and Newstead at 12 noon, to express thanks on behalf of the Queensland Government for restoring power safely, quickly and efficiently across SEQ.

Minister McArdle also plans to visit Ergon Energy depots next week to thank crews and support staff and commend them on their excellent work during the recent disaster.

“This was the biggest single storm event in the history of Energex,” Mr McArdle said.

“At its peak, Energex reported 262,874 customers without power while a total of more than 300,000 Energex customers lost power during the bad weather.

“In addition, Energex reported more than 5000 electricity wires downed by winds and more than 100 poles snapped by fallen trees, winds or flood waters – resulting in the replacement of more than 80 kilometres of cables and wire.”

Mr McArdle said the response involved more than 3,000 Energex staff, supported by some Ergon Energy crews and contractors.

This included field crews and support staff in the Contact Centre, hubs and depots, working through the storm event. 

“I’m advised that more than 100,000 customers were restored in one 24-hour period – January 29 to January 30, and that this was achieved without serious injury or incident,” he said.

“This response is a tribute to the professionalism and dedication of Energex staff who showed tremendous resilience in this unprecedented network disaster.

“In addition, once the vast bulk of customers were restored in south east Queensland, Energex dispatched crews to Ergon Energy areas to help in flood affected regions, as the waters subsided.”

[ENDS] 18 February 2013

Media contact: Minister’s Office 07 3896 3690 / 0417 277 905