How we restore power

When the power goes out, our crews work quickly and safely to restore electricity to homes, businesses and essential services. Our priority is always to keep the community safe while restoring power as soon as possible. 

A fallen power pole on top of a flipped over car after a storm.
Two Ausgrid field workers in a cherry picker truck testing a power pole wire.

Why outages happen  

Power outages can occur for a variety of reasons, including equipment faults, emergency repairs, planned maintenance, severe weather, load shedding, or electrical issues at your property. These events can affect different parts of the network in different ways, which is why restoration times can vary.

What to do in an unplanned outage?

Simple steps to stay safe and manage without power.

How we prioritise our work

During major events like storms and floods, we focus on restoring power in the following order:

  • Life-threatening hazards
  • Hospitals and critical community services
  • Large outages affecting many customers
  • Smaller, localised outages.

We understand how challenging it is to be without power, and we appreciate your patience while our crews work through each job safely. 

How we restore power

We follow a coordinated process to identify the cause of the outage and restore power safely. Here's what happens behind the scenes:

1

A power outage is reported

We detect outages through customer reports and network monitoring. You can report a power outage online or by calling 13 13 88.

2

We clear hazards

If there are fallen powerlines or damaged equipment, our crews secure the area first. Keeping the community safe is always our top priority.

3

Crews are assigned

We dispatch the right team based on the type of fault and the equipment involved. 

4

Repairs completed

Our crews repair the fault and carry out safety checks before restoring power. 

5

Power restored

Once the network is safe and stable, we switch the power back on.

Check current outages

Check for any known outages in your area and get updates on when power may return.

 

Check current outages

Report a power outage

Report a power outage, partial loss of power, flickering lights, or loss of hot water.

 

Report a power issue

Report damage and issues

Report issues with poles, powerlines, streetlights, trees near wires or graffiti on Ausgrid assets.

 

Report an issue

Looking for something else?

Looking for something else?

Do you rely on life support equipment?Portable generatorsAre you part of a planned outage?