The proposed work and outages were initially scheduled for December, then mid-January and again abandoned on Sunday, February 2.
The notifications were received via SMS messages, and on each occasion the work was cancelled for various reasons.
A frustrated local told the Southern Riverina News that while the cancellations in December and January were understandable because of factors beyond Essential Energy's control, no official advice was received by consumers, who only learnt of the reasons unofficially in the days following.
They said as it takes time to prepare for outages, especially in extreme heat, the cancellations are especially inconvenient.
The most recent proposed work on February 2 was cancelled because of extreme weather conditions already forecasted by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Unofficial notification of the cancellation was received by some at 6pm the night before, while official notification was received at 6.30am on Sunday.
Based on the community feedback, the Southern Riverina News approached Essential Energy for an explanation.
While the Essential Energy spokesperson could not provide direct advice for those affected for potential future outages, information on what may lead to work being cancelled was provided.
“Sometimes it is necessary to cancel, postpone and reschedule planned outages,” the spokesperson said.
“Reasons can include adverse weather conditions that pose a safety risk for our crews or customers; unexpected faults or emergencies that require immediate attention; and operational changes or delays that affect work schedules, including those of third parties and Accredited Service Providers.
“Essential Energy tries to minimise the impact of any cancellations by informing customers as a courtesy via SMS, email, or phone as soon as possible.”
The recent outages scheduled for Finley were all for the same project.
The Essential Energy spokesperson confirmed work was originally scheduled for Sunday, December 8, but had to be cancelled “to ensure the safety of our teams after they spent the night responding to fault and emergency works following storms in the area”.
“The outage was rescheduled twice – firstly to Sunday, January 19, which had to be postponed due to resource availability, and then to Sunday, February 2 which was cancelled due to extreme heat conditions,” the spokesperson continued.
“When planned power outages coincide with days of extreme weather, the local team assess the planned work on a case-by-case basis to determine if it should proceed.
“The assessment criteria consider a number of factors, including customer impact, the type of work scheduled, weather forecasts including total fire ban days, and relevant health, safety and environmental procedures and policies.
“As weather forecasts can change, a decision on whether a planned outage will proceed as scheduled is generally not made until as close to the outage commencement time as possible.
“In the case of the outages in Finley, the postponement and rescheduling of this work did not pose any safety or reliability concerns for customers.”
Essential Energy said a new date for the work has not yet been set, but that impacted customers would be advised in advance by Essential Energy.
29°C