Media Statement

Crews responded to a fault on the network at 5.50am on Monday 9 December, affecting 2,050 customers. As crews attempted to switch power to restore supply, a serious incident occurred injuring two Essential Energy employees.

Emergency services attended the scene. The two Essential Energy crew members were transported to Port Macquarie Base Hospital, with one employee subsequently flown to Sydney for further treatment.

We remain in touch with both employees and their families and will continue to support them throughout this period. On the ground support is being provided to the employee’s colleagues in Port Macquarie.

Essential Energy has postponed all planned work to take place on the network throughout the Port Macquarie area for Tuesday 10 December. The circumstances of this incident are being thoroughly reviewed and as a precautionary measure Essential Energy has implemented temporary restrictions on some switching practices. This action may result in some customers experiencing longer planned/unplanned power outages, however the safety of our employees and the public remains our priority.

Essential Energy is cooperating with regulatory authorities as their investigations are undertaken.

Power has been restored to customers across Port Macquarie who were impacted by the unplanned outage this morning.