$1.6 million power boost for Hervey Bay

Ergon Energy has begun a $1.6 million upgrade to the electricity supply to benefit thousands of Hervey Bay customers.

Minister for Mines and Energy Geoff Wilson said customers who had power supplied from the Torquay substation would benefit the most from the upgrade.

“More power will be delivered through larger cables coming from the substation at Torquay,” Mr Wilson said.

“This means a more reliable electricity supply for the local area,” he said.

Member for Hervey Bay Andrew McNamara said the local power demand was growing at a great pace.

“In order to keep up with demand, we need to invest in infrastructure,” Mr McNamara said.

“Hervey Bay’s population boom combined with a higher use of power by existing customers has seen a increase in power demand by around 15%,” he said.

Acting General Manager Operations for Ergon Energy Craig Harris said some of the work was being done by ‘live line’ teams to minimise disruption to the community.

“We will need to have a series of temporary interruptions until October 2 to enable our crews to safely carry out this work,” Mr Harris said.

“The safety of our workers and the community is Ergon Energy’s top priority.

“The interruptions will start in the Urangan area and extend to Torquay and customers affected by each outage will be advised in advance by mail,” he said.

Mr Harris thanked customers for their patience and understanding during these interruptions and assured them the long-term benefits would outweigh any short-term inconvenience.

Media inquiries: Brooke Johnson (07) 3224 7332