Power interconnector to take months as businesses hit by Adelaide’s freak spring storm lose thousands

SA’s new permanent power interconnector could take “many months” to build, ElectraNet says. It comes as SA businesses describe the effects of blackouts as “reminiscent of Covid”.

South Australia and Victoria’s permanent interconnector replacement is likely to take “many months” to be up and running.

The damage done to the 1980’s-built South Australian and Victorian interconnector is still wreaking havoc after being hit by wild weather on Saturday night.

ElectraNet chief executive Simon Emms said “we are currently working as safely as we can … to have (it) restored as soon as possible”.

“There’s a lot of work involved, especially a lot of engineering, to ensure that the solution we put up is safe.

“We’re currently working to have the interconnector on by the end of the weekend.

“On Thursday ElectraNet will be working with the Australian energy market and AEMO to maintain a secure and stable system.”

ElectraNet will initially replace the damaged tower with temporary towers as they work to build a permanent solution.

“Building a permanent tower will probably take many months,” Mr Emms said.

“The temporary towers are built to the same standard as the permanent structures.”

The majority of power will run via the temporary towers until a permanent tower is built.

“We’ve got a very extensive maintenance program where we inspect the towers regularly,” Mr Emms said.

ElectraNet said they were confident no other incidents would occur “given normal weather conditions.”

Dario Fontanarosa of Fine Food Cucina at Newton, standing in his empty fridge after having to dump thousands of dollars worth of food. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Mr Emms said there was no risk of energy supply as works commence.

Homes could be without power until the end of the week after Saturday’s freak storm, while some businesses face losses of tens of thousands of dollars worth of stock as insurers deal with a surge in claims.

And at least 24 public schools and kindergartens across Adelaide were expected to remain closed on Tuesday due to storm damage and power outages, the Education Department said.

The Insurance Council of Australia said on Monday 1352 claims – mostly relating to homes – had already been lodged, with the RAA expecting more than 2000 to stem from the storm.

A total of 163,000 SA Power Networks customers have been affected. As of Monday evening, nearly 25,000 homes and businesses were still in the dark but by Tuesday morning that number had dropped again, to about 12,000.

Most customers in the metro area should be reconnected by late Tuesday, but some areas in the Adelaide Hills may be forced to wait until later in the week while major repairs are underway to power lines.

Among those worst hit have been hospitality operators, some of whom lost power from Friday evening and were still waiting for it to be restored.

Dario Fontanarosa estimated he has dumped up to $60,000 worth of produce from his Fine Food Cucina cafe and store.

“It killed me,” the Newton business owner said.

“We’re insured, but it’s good produce – it’s just so sad.”

Peak industry bodies for restaurants and pubs in SA – Restaurant and Catering, and the Australian Hotels Association – say it’s too early to quantify the total produce and money lost in recent days.

However, AHA SA deputy CEO Anna Moeller expects the blackout to be a “multimillion-dollar expense” for pubs alone. She said the flow-on effects was “reminiscent of Covid”.

“It’s not just the stuff they’ve had to throw out; it’s their ability to trade,” Ms Moeller said. “And because the industry is so highly casualised – there are many casual workers – those people just don’t get paid. It’s a bit reminiscent of Covid.”

Ms Moeller said a number of pubs in the south and Hills continued to be affected.

“Things will become clearer as the days move on,” she said. “It will depend if it stretches into next weekend before power is restored for a number of them. There are problems with supply as well … and a number of service stations have closed, so it’s all a chain reaction.”

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOSA) said SA Power Networks is required to make Guaranteed Service Level (GSL) payments in cases where a customer has experienced an unacceptable number of outages over the span of a year.

However, the scheme does not provide “insurance-style” compensation for any loss or damage, and payments would not be made until the second half of 2023.

“The electricity distribution-related outages experienced over the weekend will count towards calculation for GSL payments,” the spokeswoman said.

“The payments are made by SA Power Networks in the quarter immediately after the end of the financial year.”

She said SA Power Networks was assessed each year on whether it has achieved service standards, and extended outages resulting from severe weather events do not necessarily mean it has failed.

On Monday, Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis said crews were also working to fix interconnect with Victoria, which was severely damaged by the storms.

He expected the interconnector would be back up and running by Friday or the weekend.

“There is no system in the world that can withstand storms and trees moving around through these extreme weather events,” he said.

“So whether it’s the interconnector or power lines, you are going to have breaks in the system.”

It came as a SA Power Networks source and the Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) alleged a lack of maintenance has weakened the network and exacerbated damage.

“Poles that should have been replaced 30 years ago are still sitting in the ground rusted and weakened,” the source said. CEPU secretary John Adley agreed.

But a SAPN spokesman refuted the claim, and said about $300m per annum has been spent on maintaining and upgrading the electricity network.

“The damage in this storm has been caused by large trees and tree limbs falling on powerlines and lightning strikes directly to our equipment,” he said.