The Victorian Government has launched the Gembrook Energy Resilience System, as part of its ongoing commitment to protect the community from power disruptions during extreme weather events. This initiative, part of a broader $7.5 million program, directly addresses key recommendations from the Electricity Distribution Network Resilience Review.
Commissioned in response to severe storm events in 2021, the review, led by an expert panel, made key recommendations to improve the resilience of the network and its ability to respond to prolonged outages.
Supported recommendations:
- Strengthen network and community resilience.
- Require electricity distribution companies to publish resilience plans.
- Proposing changes to the National Electricity Rules to embed resilience into network planning.
- Introducing new emergency management obligations.
The Energy Resilience Systems Programme will provide funding to install solar panels, batteries and back-up generators in 23 community buildings in high-risk areas prone to power outages caused by storms or bushfires. These buildings will serve as community hubs, providing essential services during power outages, including cooking facilities, equipment charging stations and information dissemination.
Work is currently underway at 19 sites, with most expected to be completed before the summer bushfire season. As well as providing immediate relief during emergencies, these systems will also deliver sustainable benefits by providing affordable renewable energy to community buildings throughout the year.
Alongside these initiatives, the Government has strengthened community resilience by amending the Energy Act. This amendment requires electricity distribution companies to provide real-time updates during emergencies and actively support relief programmes.
In addition, the Electricity Safety (Bushfire Mitigation) Regulations 2023 were introduced to improve the resilience of the State's electricity network. These regulations include updated insulation standards for low voltage power lines in high bushfire risk areas to ensure safer infrastructure.
Since the Black Saturday bushfires, the Government has invested more than $1 billion in bushfire safety measures for power lines.
The implementation of these endorsed recommendations represents a proactive stance by electricity companies in responding to weather-related network damage, ensuring Victoria is prepared for future storms and severe weather events.