Transgrid expects to successfully return power to Broken Hill and surrounding communities by tomorrow afternoon, almost a week ahead of the expected timeframe.
Over the past 24 hours, teams from across Australia have successfully and safely secured all conductors into place along the seven high voltage emergency response structures.
Transgrid teams are now working through final line preparation, which includes the installation of spacers, final completion and safety checks.
As of 4pm Thursday, Transgrid expects to switch over to the primary power supply in the next 24 hours, pending the successful completion of these safety checks.
Broken Hill residents will not experience any outages as the supply is moved from the backup generator to the main power supply.
However, to connect rural communities outside of Broken Hill, who are currently being supplied by Essential Energy’s generators, an outage will be required.
Head of Transgrid’s Far West Operations Response Sam Pickering said “I'd like to emphasise that while we will continue to work as quickly and safely as possible, there are many variables, including today’s weather, which was less favourable for working at heights than it has been over the past few days.
“I want to thank our emergency response team for the incredible work they continue to do on the ground, as well as the NSW Government, local government, Essential Energy and everyone we are working closely with here.
“Finally, I want to thank the Broken Hill community for their patience and support as we enter work to reconnect the region to its primary power supply,” said Mr Pickering.
