TasNetworks has declared the end of their official storm restoration efforts after successfully completing repairs from the recent storm damage that left almost 200,000 Tasmanians without power.
The network operator described the scale and impact of the damage as “unprecedented in recent memory”, with several violent storms, heavy rain and flooding hitting the state in just a few days.
At the peak of the storm response, around 47,000 customers were left without power across almost 230 outages.
While many outages were quickly fixed, some smaller and more complex ones took longer to address due to severe damage, difficult repairs or remote locations.
“Some of those outages needed careful helicopter work to reinstate power lines, as well as retrieving assets from dams and other waterways,” a spokesperson said.
TasNetworks acknowledged that their response to the outages “will not have been perfect or flawless”.
“We feel deeply for Tasmanians who suffered many days and nights without power. Many endured extreme hardship and understandable anguish and frustration,” the spokesperson said.
The company will undertake a review of the response, with a particular focus on communication challenges and “sometimes inaccurate” restoration times.
“Particularly in these recent circumstances, we faced very long outages that went for long periods without any new information to report,” the spokesperson said.
“The sheer volume of customers needing and expecting regular information about specific outages added to that challenge during this event.”
The network operator also thanked interstate crews from the mainland who travelled to Tasmania to help accelerate recovery efforts.
“We hugely appreciate our New South Wales colleagues taking time away from their lives and families to support us and support Tasmanians,” they said.
Over the outage period, TasNetworks sent more than 150,000 SMS messages to customers and their contact centre received over 40,000 calls.
They received more than 45,000 separate outage reports and had 170,000 website visits.
