Promise to upgrade power network
Power giant Ausgrid had come under fire after repeated blackouts in Georges Hall, Villawood, Bass Hill and Yagoona, but in an about-face, it has now vowed to fix the problems, prioritising an initial $1 million to upgrade the ageing cable network.
Mayor Khal Asfour said he was frustrated with the situation and lobbied and wrote to Ausgrid in December, outlining not only his concerns but the concerns of the entire community.
“Many residents had come to me saying they were fed up with the sub-standard service and needed something to be done,” he said.
“What these residents have had to endure is disgraceful and while the provider has moved to rectify the problem, it should have been done a lot sooner.”
State MP for Bankstown, Tania Mihailuk, also took up the residents’ plight after meeting with them in early December and joined their calls for Ausgrid and the NSW Government to invest in upgrading and maintaining electricity distribution infrastructure.
Mayor Asfour said he received a letter from Ausgrid’s CEO Richard Gross who was sympathetic and said he had prioritised the works which would commence this month.
“He has given me assurances the works to be carried out will improve power supply to the area.”
Works will include: Full replacement of the ageing cabling on Miller Road, Villawood; increasing supply and load capacity at the Leightonfield substation; replacing the ageing transformer in Mundamatta Street, Villawood, reducing risks of
future cable failure; and managing the loads on the Bass Hill Network, by replacing older cables and remote switching.
