Ali Curung residents living through 18hr blackouts as town’s backup generator decommissioned
The Territory’s power provider says it has ‘endorsed’ a solution which will help one remote town suffering from repeated blackouts, some of which have lasted more than 18 hours. Find out more.
Northern Territory
Don't miss out on the headlines from Northern Territory. Followed categories will be added to My News.
With a critical piece of infrastructure decommissioned, blackouts – some which have lasted more than 18 hours – are becoming a part of life for one Northern Territory town, but a $1.2 million solution has been “endorsed,” the Territory’s power provider says.
In August 2024, a backup power generator in Ali Curung was decommissioned by Power and Water, a move which has left the town with recurring blackouts, according to Barkly Regional Council Mayor Sid Vashist.
“Residents of Ali Curung have informed me that power outages are a persistent and growing concern. These outages occur regularly, creating major disruptions for the community, with recent examples including an 18.5-hour outage in October 2024 and another lasting over 24 hours,” Mr Vashist said in a letter to Barkly MLA Steve Edgington, formally requesting assistance on the issue.
Mr Edgington is also the Minister for Essential Services.
The latest Ali Curung blackout lasted eight hours and happened at the end of January when a massive dust storm rolled through the town, Mr Vashist said.
The community, located roughly 172km south of Tennant Creek, is on the same grid as the Barkly capital, and is powered by a 170km long high voltage power line.
A Power and Water spokesperson said the town’s backup generator was “permanently tagged ‘out of service’ for safety reasons” but that a $1.2 million replacement generator had been “endorsed”.
“Power and Water will collaborate with the NT Government on funding pathways. Once installed the replacement generator will require manual operation by a qualified high voltage operator, who would be dispatched from either Tennant Creek or Alice Springs,” the spokesperson said.
The old generator was “exceeding its operational life, at an elevated risk of catastrophic failure and with its design obsolete no longer supported for replacement parts”, the spokesperson said.
It also presented “a serious and unacceptable safety risk to the operator due to the possibility of electrical or major mechanical failure, which could cause electrical flashovers, fires or parts breaking off”.
Mr Edgington said Power and Water “plan to dismantle and remove the standby generator and associated equipment before June 2025 due to these safety concerns”.
“Repairs to power outages in Ali Curung can be prolonged due to the very remote nature of overhead lines supplying the community and the subsequent time to repair equipment,” he said.
“Power and Water has approached Barkly Regional Council with a view to meeting to discuss their concerns.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Ali Curung residents living through 18hr blackouts as town’s backup generator decommissioned
Woman allegedly behind 70+ cow deaths to call ‘expert evidence’: Court
The woman allegedly responsible for the deaths of more than 70 cows in a government facility south of Alice Springs will fight to prove her innocence later this year. Find out when.
NTG ‘urges’ healthcare behemoths to resolve disagreement
Two health behemoths are being urged to bury the hatchet by the Territory government, as the end date for a contract between the two draws closer. Find out more.