Published July 2024
A number of residents have raised concerns with me about power outages in our local area being caused by the growing bat population.
I raised these issues directly with the Minister in Parliament. You can see my Question here.
I have also now met with the Department for Energy and Mining and SA Power Networks to discuss reliability of the electricity network in our electorate.
Following me raising these issues, I am pleased to advise that SA Power Networks has confirmed two key projects to improve reliability of electricity in our electorate: Feeder automation and Animal Guard installation. Feeder automation senses overcurrent faults, isolates faulted sections and provides electricity supply through alternate feeders. This system is already in place on most feeders in our area but is now planned to be installed on the remaining 6 feeders in our electorate. Additionally, Animal Guards installation is planned for the 3 feeders experiencing bat-related outages in our electorate. I am told that these projects will improve electricity reliability to over 12,000 homes and businesses.
I am seeking to understand a timeline for these works and will keep advocating for these issues to be fixed. Please do let me know if you experience further issues and I will raise each example directly with SA Power Networks (as well as the Minister).
