SA Power Networks will hold a community meeting at the Minlaton Town Hall on Tuesday 17 February at 6:00pm, as it progresses its response to insulator pollution across regional South Australia.

The meeting follows the establishment in January of a dedicated Taskforce to coordinate and accelerate the organisation’s operational and engineering response to the issue. SA Power Networks External Affairs Manager Cecilia Schutz said the pace of work and the evolution of the response made direct community updates essential.

“Since establishing the Taskforce in January, our understanding of insulator pollution and how it is impacting parts of the network has advanced significantly,” Ms Schutz said.

“Our operational response is evolving quickly as a result — including changes to how we prioritise assets, where we deploy resources, and the introduction of new measures such as mobile generation and helicopter washing.

“Given how quickly this work is progressing, it’s important that we keep the community informed about what’s changing, what’s being implemented now, and what comes next.”

Additional community meetings will soon be promoted in other key impacted areas, including the Eyre Peninsula.

What’s changing on the ground

Since the Taskforce was established, SA Power Networks has been working to strengthen both its immediate response and its longer-term approach.

Mobile generation in key locations

Mobile generation will soon be deployed in priority locations, based on strict criteria:

• Highest impact on business and affected customer numbers
• The extent to which other remediation measures may reduce impacts in the short term
• Technical viability of connecting and using generation based on the local network

It is anticipated that the first mobile generator will be operational within days in Minlaton, followed by Beachport and Cowell. Other locations will continue to be assessed.

This forms part of SA Power Networks’ emergency response while other remediation measures continue.

Helicopter washing to cover more ground, faster

In the coming weeks, helicopters will also be used to wash impacted insulators across affected sections of the network.

Helicopter washing allows assets to be cleaned much faster than manual washing by ground crews and is particularly useful in areas where there is a very large volume of affected equipment. The method also allows “live washing”, without planned power interruptions.

“This will help us reach parts of the network that are slightly lower priority than the most critical feeders, but where there are still thousands of insulators needing attention,” Ms Schutz said.

“It’s one of the practical ways we’re trying to move faster.”

The Taskforce continues to focus on:

• Strengthening operational readiness during high-risk conditions
• Ongoing inspection and prioritisation for washing / replacement
• Pressure washing and targeted replacement of worst condition insulators
• Developing short and long-term asset management strategies

"We acknowledge that the current level of power reliability in regions impacted by insulator pollution is not acceptable – this issue is our highest organisational priority, and we will continue to address it with every available resource.”

Further information about insulator pollution

Register Here to attend the Minlaton Town Hall meeting 17 February @ 6pm.