Minister commends Collinsville community and rescue crews

Mines and Energy Minister Geoff Wilson has today praised the people of Collinsville for their patience as Ergon Energy and Powerlink crews work long and hard to restore power to homes and businesses.

The town lost power on Tuesday afternoon following a lightning strike that permanently damaged a high voltage transformer.

“Powerlink and Ergon Energy swung into immediate action, arranging emergency generators to restore power to essential services such as the local hospital and emergency services.

“Ergon Energy has 1300 customers in the area. I’m told that 700 have had their power restored, including the main business street. Ergon Energy expects power to be restored for 1,000 customers by tonight.

“Large industrial generators have been connected to sections of the Ergon Energy network.

“Ergon Energy crews worked around the clock to install generators to the network. Around 90 generators have been delivered to Collinsville, including the first batch of ENERGEX’s mobile generators. Two additional ENERGEX generators were dispatched today.

The Minister said Powerlink was working to restore the electricity supply to the high voltage transmission network as quickly and as safely as possible.

“Workers at Ergon Energy and Powerlink have put in a tremendous effort. Such dedication does not deserve to go unnoticed,” he said.

“And I commend the people of Collinsville for their patience and perseverance.

“There’s a very strong community spirit in Collinsville. They’re mining families who reach out to each other in hardship.

“That’s what is happening now. Neighbours are helping each other out, sharing generators and food supplies,” Mr Wilson said.

The Minister said Powerlink’s Chief Operating Officer and the northern regional manger of Ergon Energy arrived in Collinsville yesterday to provide an update on the steps being taken to restore power to the town.

“Powerlink provided free meals for many residents after a community meeting at the Collinsville Community Centre. They’re also providing food vouchers to help out residents who have lost food as a result of the power outage,” he said.

“Powerlink has flown in a high voltage cable specialist to Collinsville today to provide expert guidance. The specialist will complement Powerlink’s own team of specialist substation experts,” Mr Wilson said.

Media Inquiries: Ellen McIntyre 3225 1819