Power outages in McLaren Vale
We understand how frustrating power outages can be, and we’re committed to keeping you informed and improving reliability for McLaren Vale residents and businesses.
We know McLaren Vale has experienced more outages than expected in recent years, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. Historically, the area’s power supply relied on a single, long overhead line running through rural areas, which made it more vulnerable to faults caused by weather, wildlife, and vegetation. We’re investing around $2 million on the local network over the 2025–2030 period. This investment will ensure fewer customers are affected by outages, and restoration times will be much quicker when faults do occur.
Here’s a list of recent power outages in McLaren Vale:
Stump Hill Rd McLaren Vale restoration work
| Date and time | Cause | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday 14 September 2025, 3.50am | Wildlife activity | Short outage, power restored quickly |
| Thursday 16 October 2025, 4.35pm and 4.37pm | Lightning storm | Short outage, power restored automatically |
| Saturday 25 October 2025 | Lightning storm | Power was restored after the storm passed |
| Saturday 22 November 2025 | Lightning strike damaging transformer | Repairs were complex, and power was restored for all customers by Sunday 11 November 2025 at 11.13pm some customer restored by generator |
What we’re doing to improve reliability
We’re committed to improving the reliability of the power supply in McLaren Vale and reducing the impact of outages. Here’s what we’ve done so far:
- Split the powerline into two sections to reduce the likely hood of and outage impacting all customers in McLaren Vale.
- Replacing the circuit breaker to enable automatic power restoration after a temporary fault has occurred such as lightning and animal activity.
- Increased powerline spacing to reduce issues caused by bird activity.
We’re continuing to take action to improve the reliability of the power supply in McLaren Vale and reduce the impact of future outages:
Upgrading technology:
- On 11 December 2025, we’ll be installing automated switches to restore power faster during outages.
- A second upgrade is planned for mid to late 2026, which will further improve reliability.
Protecting against lightning damage:
- We’re installing surge protectors across the area to reduce the risk of damage from lightning strikes. This work is already underway.
Planning for outages
While we’re working hard to improve reliability, outages both planned and unplanned can still happen. We encourage everyone to have a backup plan in place to stay prepared. Visit, 'what to do when the power goes out' for helpful tips and guidance on being prepared for power outages.