Essential Energy will commence work next week on a major maintenance program on the electricity network that supplies power to Parkes, Lake Cargelligo, and the surrounding areas.
Operations Manager Central, Andrew Hinchcliffe, said that the major works would see more than 130 tasks completed across the area over five consecutive days. “Crews will be replacing 30 power poles, 18 pole crossarms, upgrading and refurbishing 14 transformers and replacing various other network components that have reached end of life,” Andrew said.
A series of planned power outages will be necessary for the works to be completed safely, and these have been scheduled to occur daily from Monday, 1 May to Friday, 5 May 2023. Customers will receive Essential Energy’s standard outage notifications, advising the dates and times of outages affecting them.
“We are bringing in additional crews and equipment from Condobolin, Forbes, Griffith, Lake Cargelligo, Leeton and West Wyalong depots to work with our local Parkes crews to help complete this large program of works,” Andrew said.
“Significant planning has been undertaken to complete the large program of works as quickly and safely as possible, with a significant amount of work being completed in a relatively short time across the area, to reduce the overall inconvenience on affected communities.”
The scheduled works are reliant on suitable weather conditions and may be postponed if the conditions are unfavourable or any unforeseen circumstances arise.
“We appreciate that planned power outages may cause inconvenience for some customers, but they are vital to ensure a safe and reliable power network for these communities,” Andrew said.