MORE than 2500 AusNet customers in Wangaratta district were without electricity from 6.30pm on Sunday night. An Ausnet spokesperson said towns including Beechworth, Bobinawarrah, Carboor, Chestnut, Docker, East Wangaratta, Edi, Eldorado, Everton, Hansonville, King Valley, Markwood, Meadow Creek, Milawa, Moyhu, Myrrhee, Oxley, Rose River, Wangaratta, Whitfield, Whitlands and Whorouly were without power. Ausnet said the cause of the fault was a blown high voltage fuse on a pole top substation. "Power was restored to all customers by 7am Monday morning," the spokesperson said. Events such as the Christmas carols at Milawa were affected, however, a generator was able to be sourced to let the show go on. Bushfire mitigation technology - Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters (REFCLs) are in place in the region. When the REFCL technology is triggered, it takes out the whole feeder line to protect the community from potential bushfires, rather than just a single line or a few sections. Before Ausnet technicians can restore the electricity, they need to physically patrol the line to locate, identify, and if required, clear the cause of the fault, which is a time-consuming process. This REFCL technology is vital to keep communities safe from bushfires.
