Legislative Council, Wednesday 19 October 2022

Ms FORREST question to LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT, Mrs HISCUTT

In a recent extended power outage in Zeehan, reportedly due to power lines down on the Zeehan Highway, I am informed power was restored to part of the town, including retail and business areas, many hours before being restored to residential areas in close proximity to the town centre, including Parkinson and Counsel Streets.

Can the Leader explain why this was the case as many residents of Zeehan rely on power for heating, cooking and essential electrical medical devices?

ANSWER:

Zeehan is currently fed by a single High Voltage 44kV feeder which runs from Rosebery.
During October, the line was impacted by high winds, causing vegetation to come into contact with the line, bringing down 14 spans of conductor.

Zeehan currently has two back up diesel generators to provide supplementary supply during such events. The generators provide enough capacity to maintain supply to half the township of Zeehan. Neither businesses nor residential homes are priorities as part of this arrangement. Which parts of the township are being energised simply reflects the nature of the power system in the township.

TasNetworks recognises the importance of reliable energy supply to customers and is currently mobilising a third generator to Zeehan (which has been removed from Bruny Island since the undersea cable was replaced last month). This generator will be installed at Zeehan in the next six months and will provide sufficient back up supply to power the entire down during any future loss-of-supply events.