Powercor fined $130,000 for sparking Terang fire, called to replace more poles

Powercor has been fined and told to replace more of its rotten power poles by Energy Safe Victoria.

What cost?: Cattle farmer Brad Gilmour surveys the damage to his property near Terang after the 2018 St Patrick’s Day fire. Source: ABC News

Electricity distributor Powercor has been convicted and fined $130,000 after its clashing powerlines sparked the 2018 St Patrick’s Day Terang fire that destroyed almost 6000 hectares.

Energy Safe Victoria laid charges against Powercor for failing to comply with its general duty and exposing individuals to hazards and risks including bushfire risk in the wake of the St Patrick’s Day fires at Terang and Garvoc.

Earlier this month Powercor pleaded guilty “to one charge of failing to minimise risk of bushfire” in regard to the Terang fire on the basis “powerlines on High Street Terang were not adequate to prevent the powerlines clashing in the high winds experienced on 17 March 2018.”

However Powercor argued it had followed all “necessary safety processes and procedures to maintain the network” in regard to inspecting the power pole that collapsed and sparked the Garvoc fire.

ESV consequently dropped the charges relating to Garvoc fire and called on Powercor to lift its pole replacement and reinforcement target from 22,000 over the next five years to 34,000.

Powercor responded by recently lodging a revised bushfire mitigation plan with ESV that The Weekly Times understands lifts the target to 34,000 poles.

The ESV Commission is due to consider a revised Powercor bushfire mitigation plan next Tuesday.

The Weekly Times has previously reported more than 100,000 ageing messmate power poles delivering electricity to western Victoria’s highest bushfire-risk zones serviced by Powercor are at risk of rot and collapse.

As recently as late October a rotten power pole at Pomborneit collapsed, sparked a frightening display that a local telco technician caught on video on a line that was responsible for sparking the March 2018 St Patrick’s Day fires.

ESV Commissioner Chair Marnie Williams said the safety regulator was “confident that if Powercor meets its new obligations, this will make a material difference to preventing grass fires and bushfires caused by power poles.”

“ESV has required Powercor to quadruple their power pole interventions in hazardous bushfire risk areas. ESV is confident that if Powercor meets its new obligations, this will make a material difference to preventing grass fires and bushfires caused by power poles,” Ms Williams said.

She said ESV also appreciated the contributions of victims of the Terang fire who, in some cases, relived the trauma of the fire as they read victim impact statements to Warrnambool Magistrates Court.

“I appreciate the bravery of those who read out victim impact statements to the Court,” Ms Williams said.

“I can assure those people as well as everyone who lives in those communities that were affected by the St Patrick’s Day Fires that ESV has taken steps to require change.”

THE TERANG FIRE

The Terang fire occurred on 17 March 2018, St Patrick’s Day.

The fire was caused by the clashing of high voltage conductors near the tee of a pole on the south side of High Street in Terang. The grass fire burnt through the localities of Dixie, Cobrico, Cobden, Elingamite, North Elingamite, Glenfyne, Jancourt and Scott’s Creek.

The total area burnt was estimated to be 5797 hectares with an approximate perimeter in excess of 80 kilometres.