Helicopter to fix vandal’s power problem
Scottsdale’s main business district is being spared the outage with the delivery of a generator to the Woolworths car park.
March 20, 2024
TasNetworks is hoping for fine weather next Monday to allow a helicopter to conduct urgent repair work on a system damaged by vandals earlier this month.
Severe damage has been caused to an Optical Ground Wire (OPGW) on a transmission powerline in a remote area near Scottsdale, leaving the network in a vulnerable state and must be repaired.
Scottsdale’s main business district is being spared the outage with the delivery of a generator to the Woolworths car park, but around 2000 other customers will have a 10-hour outage across a period from 7am to 5pm.
Affected areas include the outskirts of Scottsdale, Derby, Tomahawk, Tonganah, Kamona, Tulendeena, Springfield, Branxholm, Telita, Legerwood, Ringarooma, Talawa, Waterhouse, Winnaleah, Herrick, Forester, Banca, Bridport, Cuckoo and Trenah.
In a letter to affected customers, TasNetworks’ Head of Customer Services, Lisa Post, apologised for the outage, caused by unknown offenders using a towline attached to a vehicle to pull off part of a transmission pole, risking death by electrocution in the process.
“TasNetworks will be using a helicopter to repair the area of line impacted to ensure we can complete the work as quickly as possible,” she said.
“Whilst the use of the helicopter means we can complete the work quicker than ground crews it also has its limitations as we need the right weather conditions.
“We have allowed a three day window between Monday, March 25 and
Wednesday, March 27 to complete repairs. During this time you will experience one outage of up to 10 hours.
“We plan to complete the repairs on Monday. If we are unable to proceed with repairs on this date, we will re-schedule the work to the following day and notify you by SMS and via the TasNetworks Facebook page. If the weather prevents the use of a helicopter on the first two days, we will complete the repairs from the ground on the third day.”
While some businesses are choosing to close their doors, TasNetworks has suggested a range of rechargeable portable batteries, a hard-wired battery storage system or a portable diesel or petrol generator to keep the power on.