Climate Change Resilience

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Climate change means extreme weather is becoming more common, making long power outages more likely. We know it’s really tough when the power goes out unexpectedly. That’s why we are working with communities to find practical, long-term solutions that help everyone be more prepared for the times when the power goes out.

61%

of all outage minutes

over the last 10 years were caused by weather related events.

$83M+

in network damage and restoration costs

caused by storms in the last 10 years.

Responding to the challenges of climate change

Ausgrid’s electricity network spans a diverse region - from coastal towns and cities to bushland communities. Each area faces its own climate challenges. Some experience more frequent storms, while others endure extreme heat and bushfire risk.

Severe weather can cause significant damage to the electricity grid, leading to power outages that disrupt daily life. As our climate continues to change, these events are becoming more frequent and harder to predict. While some communities bounce back quickly, others - especially those more vulnerable - may face greater hurdles in recovery.

That’s why we’ve partnered with our customers to co-design a new Climate Resilience Program. This initiative focuses on strengthening the network with targeted network upgrades and providing additional support to communities. By investing in targeted upgrades and local assistance, we’re working to reduce the impact of future weather events and help communities recover faster.

Planning for resilience together

Every community faces different risks and has different needs. We worked together to understand local priorities, with local voices leading the way.

Enhancing Community Resilience

Our new Community Resilience program is designed to provide the support and information our customers told us was the most important during our engagement. We are investing in awareness and education to help customers prepare for and manage long outages caused by storms. This is supported by a range of pilot projects testing different ways to provide back-up power and improve our community support during major disruptions.

Our Community Resilience Liaison Officer works with the communities that are at a higher risk of outages from extreme weather. Through workshops, events, and personalised support, our liaison is available to help customers understand their risk and prepare with confidence.

We are partnering with local organisations and councils to invest in reliable back-up power at community facilities and spaces in areas worst impacted by extreme weather. These places, often called ‘Community Resilience Hubs’, use solar, battery and/or generator systems to provide power when the network is down. Customers near these hubs can visit to charge devices and get updates. We are testing the best way to deliver these hubs and would like to deliver more in future regulatory periods.

Strengthening our network

Covered conductor

We’re upgrading over 120km extra bare high voltage power lines to covered conductor. Covered conductor has a protective insulating layer around the cable. This technology helps prevent outages caused by conductors clashing and branches hitting cables during high winds. It also significantly reduces bushfire start risk.

We already use covered conductor across many parts of our network. We're installing more now in the Central Coast, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens. These locations face higher climate impacts, increasing risk, and have vulnerable communities who will feel outage impacts more.

Reclosers

Lightning strikes, falling branches, and other temporary faults can cause sudden disruptions to the electricity network. This especially happens during storms and high winds. To help manage these risks, Ausgrid is installing reclosers on parts of the high voltage network that are more likely to be affected.

Reclosers are automated devices that turn off power for a few seconds when something goes wrong. This quick break gives the system a chance to clear momentary problems like a branch touching power lines. The recloser then tests if the fault has cleared. If it has, power is restored immediately. This technology reduces outages and helps keep communities connected during bad weather.

Bushfire Wraps

We are installing 3000 bushfire wraps on high voltage timber poles across the Hunter Valley and Central Coast.

Fire resistant bushfire mesh wraps have a special coating. When exposed to extreme heat, the coating expands to form a barrier. This protects poles from burning, reduces scorching and gives better resistance to bushfires for longer.

Improving our response

Line Fault Indicators

Big storms and other extreme weather can cause power outages across very large areas. Traditional methods of locating faults take time. Crews often have to manually patrol long lines. This can be slow and difficult in bad weather and leads to longer outages.

Line Fault Indicators are smart devices that give real-time data to our control room and teams before crews go out. They send fault information back to our systems remotely. This helps us confirm and locate faults faster.

Data sharing

Planning for and responding to extreme weather requires accurate, up to date information and collaboration between lots of different organisations. We are investing in new initiatives like automated, real-time data sharing with other utilities and emergency services to improve coordination and respond better.

We are also collaborating with councils, state and federal government departments and other essential service providers to better understand our interdependencies and identify vulnerabilities.

Working together in these ways before, during and after extreme weather events means we can use resources more efficiently, respond faster and reduce impacts on our customers.

Informed by experts and the latest science

We are working with leading researchers, universities and industry experts to better understand how extreme weather affects our communities. We use wind, flood, bushfire and extreme heat modelling to understand where the risks are highest and how we can prepare. This research helps us make smarter decisions about where to invest in the network and how to support people during emergencies.

We proactively share and learn through conferences and forums focused on emergency response, resilience, and climate change. By sharing ideas and learning from others, we make sure our plans use the best knowledge available.

Climate Adaptation and Resilience Expert panel (CARE panel)

Ausgrid's Climate Resilience Program is supported by a panel of resilience subject matter experts and customer advocates. The CARE panel provide advice on delivery of the program and future planning opportunities that will support the long-term interests of customers.

Our climate change resilience program is designed to protect communities from the impacts of extreme weather. We focus on reducing power outages, supporting vulnerable communities, and making our network stronger against storms, bushfires, and other climate risks. The program is part of our future grid strategy.

CARE panel

Read about Ausgrid's Climate Adaptation and Resilience Expert panel

Future Grid

Find out more on how Ausgrid is investing in renewable energy and infrastructure for a more sustainable future

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