Preparing assets for whatever the summer brings
Victorian electricity distributor United Energy (UE) worked right through Melbourne’s COVID restrictions in 2020 to keep electricity supplies safe and reliable for its customers, but it was also preparing for summer, which usually sees more extreme conditions impact the network and put a strain on power systems.
The distributor rolled out a $185 million program of works to ensure the network was better prepared for this summer than ever before to support its customers, which are in Melbourne’s eastern and south eastern suburbs, as well as on the Mornington Peninsula.
United Energy General Manager, Electricity Networks, Mark Clarke, said heatwaves, high winds and wet weather could all cause power outages over summer, noting several storm events over the last few months of 2020.
“Our crews worked year-round to make sure our network is reliable, but we recommend everyone has a plan to have the power they need over summer,” Mr Clarke said.
United Energy and its resource partners undertook more than one million work-hours to ensure all network inspection, maintenance and testing was complete ahead of the annual bushfire season.
