More power towers damaged than in 2016 statewide blackout
The storm that ravaged South Australia on Thursday night knocked out more transmission towers than during the 2016 blackout and left some Mid North towns looking for temporary supply.
SA News
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More towers were damaged during the wild storm that struck South Australia on Thursday than in the blackout that plunged the state into darkness in 2016.
The destruction of towers in the state’s north also means SA Power Networks are installing temporary diesel generators at Quorn, Leigh Creek and Hawker, while BHP is powering Roxby Downs until transmission is restored.
A spokesperson for transmission company ElectraNet said 29 towers had been damaged during the story, over three different high-voltage lines. It is believed 22 towers were damaged during the 2016 blackout.
“ElectraNet is in the process of completing inspections in the region but so far it has been revealed four towers have been damaged on the Davenport to Pimba 132kV line,’’ the spokesperson said.
“Significant damage has also occurred on the Davenport to Leigh Creek South 132kV line with 19 towers down. A further six 132kV Stobie poles have been damaged on the Brinkworth to Bungama line.”
The spokesperson said crews were “working towards restoring power as soon as possible’’ but could not put a time frame on when power would be restored.
A spokesperson for SA Power Networks asked residents of Quorn, Hawker and Leigh Creek to turn off the main solar isolator switch on their systems while the temporary generators were in use.
“We are unable to operate the generators with solar in the system,’’ the spokesperson said.
The towers damaged on the Pimba line forced BHP to suspend some operations at its giant Olympic Dam mine.
“We have paused the majority of our underground mining and surface processing operations,’’ the spokesperson said. “Back-up generation is providing power to Roxby Downs township, along with critical on-site infrastructure. Business continuity plans are in place.’’
BHP said it was unable to provide a time frame for work to start again, but there has been speculation the miner could be out of action for up to a week.
The storm rolled in on Thursday and strong winds hit much of the state with gusts of up to 130km/h recorded at Port Pirie and Roxby Downs.The Bureau of Meteorology initially reported 130,000 strikes but SA Power Networks later revised that total, saying it had recorded almost 250,000 lightning strikes, with a peak of 400 strikes a minute during the worst of the storm.
At 9.30 Friday, SA Power networks said 39,000 customers had lost power in the previous 24 hours. By 5pm, there were still 2783 customers without power, mostly in the Mid North and the South East.
Originally published as More power towers damaged than in 2016 statewide blackout
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