HOUSEHOLD power will not be cut off during periods of high bushfire risk, the state government has assured Victorians after a similar scheme was adopted in South Australia.
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A state government spokesman said while Energy Safe Victoria had always had the legal power to direct distribution companies to cut off supply, this contingency would be an absolute last resort.
“This step has not been taken in the past in Victoria and there is no expectation that this will change,” he said.
“What the Coalition government is doing is making some changes to the way electricity networks in high risk areas are managed. This is the result of the recommendations by the expert Powerline Bushfire Safety Taskforce, which undertook work recommended by the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission (VBRC) to improve the fire safety of electricity assets.”
The government spokesman said changes would be made relating to the operation of automatic circuit reclosers (ACRs), which automatically reconnect power after an outage caused by a line fault.
He said the VBRC found automatic reclosing had the potential to start fires in some areas on high risk days and should be suppressed at times of greatest risk.
