Unusual things that caused power outages in 2017

Animal magnetism, malicious digging, truck crash and bird collision were some of the most unusual causes of power outages in Australia in 2017, according to power management company Eaton’s Blackout Tracker Annual Report for Australia and New Zealand.

In Wangaratta, Victoria, 18,000 customers lost power for 2½ hours last year, after an unidentified critter managed to make its way into a substation, despite protective devices being installed on equipment. Three other unusual events that caused outages in 2017 were:

• In Inverall, New South Wales, ‘malicious digging’ by a member of the public was cited as the source behind a blackout that left 2221 customers in the dark in November 217. The intentional digging not only caused a powerline to fall, but also triggered a small grass fire.
• A crow collided with some TasNetworks infrastructure, leaving 1390 households to swelter through one of the hottest nights of the year without power.
• In Noosaville, Queensland, firefighters sprayed a swimming pool worth of water into a waste collection truck full of burning compressed cardboard that was stuck outside a service station. The truck was emptying a bin when it struck a powerline feeding into the station.
   

Eaton’s report revealed 27% surge in power outages affecting more than 1.7 million people in 2017. Weather and falling trees, faulty equipment and human error and vehicle accidents were three top causes of power outages.

Overall, power outages in Australia increased by 19%, with Queensland overtaking New South Wales as the top blackout state after Cyclone Debbie caused devastation along the east coast in March. Across the Tasman, New Zealand blackouts increased by 36%, with the North Island faced with widespread snowstorms, a big scrub fire and Cyclone Cook.

Gordon Makryllos, MD Australia and New Zealand at Eaton Industries said while the total number of people affected by power outages almost halved in 2017, businesses and individuals should still be wary as there was a higher frequency of small-scale blackouts and the average duration of outages increased by 39%.

“With almost three out of four blackouts caused by weather, falling trees, faulty equipment or human error, it is clear that many power outages are unexpected and often unavoidable, which serves as a timely reminder for businesses to review their power backup and disaster recovery plans to ensure IT systems and data are protected in the event of a power disruption.”

The EMC Global Data Protection Index that surveyed 125 Australian companies found the average organisation experiences approximately three days of unexpected downtime per year, with data loss and other consequences totalling around AU$70 billion. The majority of respondents were not fully confident in their ability to recover after disruption.

“In the current era of digital connectivity and data dependency, the cost of power outages can be significant for any business — in particular, those that have data collection technology in locations where recovery processes are complex and hard to reach. To reduce the risk of data loss, downtime and increased costs, it is important to have uninterruptible power systems (UPSs), generators and power management software solutions that can deliver backup power during outages.”

As World Backup Day approaches on 31 March, Eaton is offering a complimentary consultation and Critical Power Site Audit to all Australian and New Zealand businesses that will assess the business’s vulnerability to power disruption. The consultation will provide recommendations on the steps that can be taken to minimise downtime. To register for this complimentary service, click here.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Sergey Nivens