As the clean up continues across Northern NSW after the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred, Essential Energy is encouraging customers to remain vigilant when it comes to safety around powerlines and areas of the electricity network that have been damaged and to expect further power outages.

The high volume of hanging vegetation debris and water-logged soil may result in falling trees and branches over the coming weeks posing a public safety risk with the likelihood of power outages as these make contact with the network.

Essential Energy also wants the communities in the Northern Rivers and North Coast to beware that some of the repairs to the network are temporary and will require further work over the coming months. This permanent restoration work will involve planned power outages to provide a safe environment for crews to work in.

Crews have worked to restore power across the region, however, if customers are still impacted, please call Essential Energy on 132080.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

Over the weekend Essential Energy crews restored power to almost all remaining customers across Northern NSW who were impacted by ex-cyclone Alfred.

Teams navigated difficult terrain, boggy ground and fallen trees to repair the significantly damaged electricity network.

Crews from across the state joined local teams to support restoration efforts, with helicopters, excavators and all-terrain vehicles being instrumental with gaining access to many areas.

This was a whole of business response for Essential Energy with our crews on the ground supported by many of our internal teams.

Importantly, we always made sure our customers were the focus of our safe, steady and sustainable response. Our customer team ramped up early to ensure we were available to take calls, and our community relations team have been on the ground at community hubs answering questions and providing support, and will remain in the hubs for now.

It was also a whole of community response, with more than 30 local businesses helping us with providing food for our teams, last minute accommodation and logistical support – all of which allowed us to concentrate on making repairs and getting the power back on.

Some of our neighbours even baked for our teams ensuring they had a ‘special treat’ while out making repairs.

We are proud of our team’s efforts, can-do attitude and commitment to getting the power back on for our customers. We also thank our customers for their ongoing patience and support, as we know how frustrating it can be to not have power for long periods of time, and our stakeholders for supporting our team and helping us to get messages out to impacted customers.

In total we restored power to around 97,000 homes and businesses.

This will be our final update. For any further enquiries please contact [email protected]

Essential Energy crews worked tirelessly throughout yesterday afternoon and into the evening, and were back on the tools this morning removing vegetation from lines, gaining access into hard-to-reach areas and making repairs across the network.

As of 12pm, 1,380 homes and businesses remain without power, primarily in the Tweed Heads, Murwillumbah and Ewingsdale areas.

Helicopters continue to support our response along with excavators, specialised climbing crews and all-terrain vehicles.

Members of the community can speak with Essential Energy at the community hubs set up across the Northern Rivers, including:

• Tweed Heads: Tweed Heads South Community Centre – Corner Heffron Street and Minjungbal Drive, South Tweed Heads from 9am to 5pm
• Murwillumbah: Murwillumbah Civic Centre Auditorium, 10-14 Tumbulgum Rd, Murwillumbah, from 11.00am to 1.00pm
• Byron Bay: Marvell Hall, 37 Marvell St, Byron Bay, from 4:00pm to 6:00pm.

Many organisations from across Northern NSW have also been there for our teams on the ground, providing food, last minute accommodation and logistical support – all of which has helped our teams on the ground concentrate on making repairs and restoring power for customers.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

Estimated times of restoration are being updated (when known) on the website outages page.

Our next update will be provided Monday 17 March 2025 at 12.00pm. If you require information over the weekend, please reach out to [email protected] - 0427003760.

Essential Energy crews were out early in the good weather conditions this morning, continuing to make repairs to restore power for customers following ex-cyclone Alfred.

As of 11.30am, 3,000 homes and businesses remain without power from Tweed Heads in the north down to Ballina in the south and further west.

Crews are focused on gaining access into those hard-to-reach areas where there is significant damage to the network due to fallen trees and boggy ground.

Teams are also working through a number of faults that impact only one customer at a time, with this work to continue over coming days.

Essential Energy’s community relations team are today at the Tweed Heads South Community Centre with the NSW Reconstruction Authority. Customers are encouraged to visit and ask any questions they have while also being able to charge their phone and use the internet.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

Estimated times of restoration are being updated (when known) on the website outages page.

Our next update will be provided 12pm tomorrow.

Essential Energy continues to implement a safe, steady and sustainable response to getting the power restored to homes and businesses across Northern NSW.

As of 4.30pm 3,900 customers remain without power from Tweed Heads in the north down to Ballina in the south and further west.

Our team understands how difficult it can be without power for externed periods of times, and we assure customers we’re continuing to navigate the access and vegetation challenges to work as quickly as safety allows to get the power restored.

Crews from across NSW have joined local teams as well as extra vegetation crews, fleet and customer teams to support the significant response.

Helicopters, excavators and all-terrain vehicles are also being used to assist teams on the ground, with much of the work requiring climbing crews to make repairs.

Over the coming days the community can speak to Essential Energy at the NSW Reconstruction Authority community hubs about their power needs. Phone charging and access to the internet will also be available.

Details on the hubs are available on the NSW Government website Tropical Cyclone Alfred recovery updates | NSW Government

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

There are still locations that crews are unable to access due to flood waters or road closures. Estimated times of restoration are being updated (when known) on the website outages page.

From tomorrow, Thursday 13 March one update will be provided per day before 12pm.

Essential Energy crews were able to restore power to around 1,000 customers overnight however, some areas have been impacted by further outages, bringing the total number of homes and businesses without power to 4,400.

Teams were back out early this morning, working as quickly as safety will allow to make repairs and remove vegetation over powerlines, however the challenges of the past days, with boggy conditions, cut off access roads and debris remains.

Along with getting the power back on safely, Essential Energy’s priority is to support our customers throughout this event, with community hubs set up to enable members of the public to talk directly to our team about their power needs, what support they may need while also charging their phones and utilising the internet.

We are working with NRMA Insurance to have a co-located presence at Bunnings in Tweed Heads (29-41 Greenway Dr, Tweed Heads South) for today only.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

There are still locations that crews are unable to access due to flood waters or road closures. Estimated times of restoration are being updated (when known) on the website outages page.

Essential Energy support

To assist customer recovery from the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred and the extended periods of time without power, Essential Energy is offering the following:

• Pausing estimated meter reading for uninhabitable houses and buildings
• Reimbursement of up to $350 for the costs charged by an Accredited Service Provider (ASP) to a customer to disconnect and reconnect a property due to flood damage (note this excludes reimbursement for the cost for repairs or inspections)
• Pausing all Disconnections for Non-Payment (DNPs) in flood affected areas while the Natural Disaster continues
• Pausing of customer communications for Private Asset defects in flood affected areas
• Repairing or replacing any private assets which have been damaged or destroyed by flooding on a like-for-like basis at our cost
• Waiving the Certificate Compliance of Electrical Works (CCEW) cost for ASPs for flood affected post codes
• Contributing $600 towards supporting customers in the cost to re-connect to our network (e.g. if their house is a total loss) for flood impacted customers within our network for a period of two years
• Waiving the daily access charge for customers for the period they were off supply. This amount will be reflected via a reduced access charge on customer bills sent by retailers.

Essential Energy crews have brought the number down to just over 5,200 homes and businesses without power in the Northern NSW as they work through a large volume of faults and complicated repairs.

There are still locations that crews are unable to access due to flood waters or road closures. Estimated times of restoration are being updated (when known) on the website outages page.

To assist customer recovery from the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred and the extended periods of time without power, Essential Energy is offering the following:

• Pausing estimated meter reading for uninhabitable houses and buildings
• Reimbursement of up to $350 for the costs charged by an Accredited Service Provider (ASP) to a customer to disconnect and reconnect a property due to flood damage (note this excludes reimbursement for the cost for repairs or inspections)
• Pausing all Disconnections for Non-Payment (DNPs) in flood affected areas while the Natural Disaster continues
• Pausing of customer communications for Private Asset defects in flood affected areas
• Repairing or replacing any private assets which have been damaged or destroyed by flooding on a like-for-like basis at our cost
• Waiving the Certificate Compliance of Electrical Works (CCEW) cost for ASPs for flood affected post codes
• Contributing $600 towards supporting customers in the cost to re-connect to our network (e.g. if their house is a total loss) for flood impacted customers within our network for a period of two years
• Waiving the daily access charge for customers for the period they were off supply. This amount will be reflected via a reduced access charge on customer bills sent by retailers.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

From tomorrow (12 March 2025), updates will be provided twice a day before 11am and before 5pm.

Work is continuing in the Northern Rivers to restore power to Essential Energy customers who have been impacted by ex-cyclone Alfred.

It is expected that customers may experience the power going on and off for periods of time as crews work through the faults and damage caused by the high winds, heavy rain, fallen trees and vegetation debris. Additional power outages may also occur as trees continue to fall and come into contact with the network due to the water saturated ground.

As of 10:30am, there are just over 7,600 homes and businesses without power, mainly in the Northern Rivers region.

Helicopter patrols have recommenced today to survey the lines for damage in hard to access areas. As the information about the damage is assessed, crews will be able to estimate times of power restoration for some locations. These will be updated on our website outages page.

Essential Energy employees will be at evacuation centres to provide information about staying safe as the electricity network is restored as well as offering device recharging and internet services. For a list of evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

Essential Energy crews made more progress overnight restoring power to the areas of Northern NSW that have been impacted by ex-cyclone Alfred.

As of 6am, there are just over 7,500 homes and businesses without power, mainly in the Northern Rivers region.

Essential Energy crews will continue to work through the cleanup and repairs throughout today.

Community hubs will be established today to provide support to customers including access to the internet and charging for mobile devices. Information about the locations and opening times will be available at evacuation centres as well as listed on electronic signboards that will be placed throughout impacted communities. For a list of evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

To assist customer recovery from the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred and the extended periods of time without power, Essential Energy is offering the following:

• Pausing estimated meter reading for uninhabitable houses and buildings
• Reimbursement of up to $350 for the costs charged by an Accredited Service Provider (ASP) to a customer to disconnect and reconnect a property due to flood damage (note this excludes reimbursement for the cost for repairs or inspections)
• Pausing all Disconnections for Non-Payment (DNPs) in flood affected areas while the Natural Disaster continues
• Pausing of customer communications for Private Asset defects in flood affected areas
• Repairing or replacing any private assets which have been damaged or destroyed by flooding on a like-for-like basis at our cost
• Waiving the Certificate Compliance of Electrical Works (CCEW) cost for ASPs for flood affected post codes
• Contributing $600 towards supporting customers in the cost to re-connect to our network (e.g. if their house is a total loss) for flood impacted customers within our network for a period of two years.

The community is reminded to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and 150 metres from lines submerged in water and should report the location to Essential Energy on 132080.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

The restoration process for Northern NSW has made slow progress today due to the amount of damage from ex-cyclone Alfred, the volume of fallen trees and challenging access from flood waters and landslides.

As of 4:30pm, there are just over 9,000 homes and businesses without power, mainly in the Northern Rivers region.

Essential Energy crews will continue to work through the cleanup and repairs over the coming days. Customers need to be prepared to be without power for several days in areas where access is challenging or not yet safe. Some locations will require special equipment and climbing crews due to the nature of the terrain which won’t be able to proceed until the weather has cleared.

Power to Mount Nardi has been restored again, which is home to several transmission towers for FM radio, digital television, fixed wireless broadband and some mobile phone services.

Community hubs will be established tomorrow to provide support to customers including access to the internet and charging for mobile devices. Locations will be listed on electronic signboards that will be placed throughout impacted communities.

Essential Energy is asking the community to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines, and 150 metres from lines immersed in water, following reports of people trying to remove lines from fallen trees. The community should always assume these assets are live and very dangerous and should report them to Essential Energy on 132080.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

Essential Energy crews are continuing with the massive cleanup and restoration effort in the Northern Rivers as weather conditions remain challenging.

Helicopters are being used where possible to survey remote areas of the network to help identify the damage before plans can be made on how to safely access the locations.

As at 10:30am, around 10,000 homes and businesses remain without power across various communities from Tweed Heads south to Grafton and west to Armidale, with this number expected to slowly decrease throughout the day if the weather holds. Around 6,000 of these are in the Tweeds Head and Murwillumbah regions.

Some locations will require special equipment and climbing crews due to the nature of the terrain which won’t be able to proceed until the weather has cleared.

Unfortunately, a tree has come down on a powerline that has caused Mount Nardi to lose power again after teams restored it last night. Crews are back on the job this morning. Mount Nardi is home to several transmission towers for FM radio, digital television, fixed wireless broadband and some mobile phone services.

Community hubs will be established later today and tomorrow to provide support to customers including access to the internet and charging for mobile devices. Locations will be listed on electronic signboards that will be placed throughout impacted communities.

There are flood warnings in place for areas of the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and eastern part of the Norther Tablelands. If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored and customers need to remain prepared to be without power for several days. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.

Essential Energy is asking the community to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines, and 150 metres from lines immersed in water, following reports of people trying to remove lines from fallen trees. The community should always assume these assets are live and very dangerous and should report them to Essential Energy on 132080.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

As at 6am, just under 10,000 homes and businesses remain without power across various communities from Tweed Heads south to Grafton and west to Armidale, with this number likely to change throughout the day.  

Once weather conditions allow, Essential Energy will focus on surveying damage via helicopters, allowing plans to be made on gaining access to cut off areas and dropping equipment and crews in to start repairs.

Repair work will continue right across the impacted area today which includes significant vegetation work to remove trees from powerlines, re-stand power poles, replace electrical assets and restring powerline.

Last night teams were successful in restoring power to Mount Nardi which is home to several transmission towers for FM radio, digital television, fixed wireless broadband and some mobile phone services.

Crews from throughout NSW arrived in the Cyclone impacted area yesterday, with more coming today to help local teams with the ongoing clean up and repair work. Many of these people were involved with the 2022 Northern NSW flood response and bring significant experience with working in challenging conditions.

Community hubs will be established later today and tomorrow to provide support to customers including access to the internet and charging for mobile devices.

There are flood warnings in place for areas of the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and eastern part of the Norther Tablelands. If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored and customers need to remain prepared to be without power for several days. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.

Essential Energy is asking the community to please stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines, and 150 metres from lines immersed in water, following reports of people trying to remove lines from fallen trees. The community should always assume these assets are live and very dangerous and should report them to Essential Energy on 132080.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page. 

Essential Energy crews have continued to work across the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and eastern part of the Norther Tablelands to restore power wherever possible to safely do so in spite of the challenging weather conditions brought on my ex-cyclone Alfred. 

Despite the efforts to restore power to around 4,000 properties, heavy rain and severe winds are continuing to impact the electricity network causing further outages and restricting access to some locations. 

As of 4:30pm, just over 12,500 homes and businesses are without power across various communities from Tweed Heads south to Grafton and west to Armidale with this number likely to change throughout the day. 

There are flood warnings in place for areas of the Northern Rivers, Mid North Coast and eastern part of the Norther Tablelands overnight and throughout Monday morning (10 March).  

If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored and customers need to be prepared to remain off for several days. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.   

Essential Energy is reminding customers to stay far away from fallen powerlines or powerlines that are immersed in water and to please call 132080 to report the location. 

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.  

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page. 

Essential Energy is reminding customers in Northern NSW to stay at least 8 metres away from fallen powerlines and to assume that these assets are live and very dangerous as the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred continues to cause damage to the electricity network. 

If you see fallen powerlines or any trees on the network, please call 132080 to report the location.

As of 10:30am, just over 16,000 homes and businesses are without power across various communities from Tweed Heads south to Grafton with this number likely to change throughout the day.

Crews are working to cleanup, repair and restore wherever it is safe to do so, however, customers need to be prepared to be without power for several days. The biggest challenges to getting power back on will be rising flood waters and swollen creek beds, fallen vegetation and mud slides impacting access roads.

Additional crews from across the Essential Energy network are travelling into the area today to assist. Community hubs will be set up in the coming days to provide support to customers including access to charging for mobile devices and access to the internet.

A big focus for today is to work on the restoration of power at Mount Nardi is home to several transmission towers for FM radio, digital television, fixed wireless broadband and some mobile phone services.

Severe weather is continuing to hinder restoration efforts with plans to survey the network via helicopter unable to proceed for safety reasons until conditions improve.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website. 

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page.

Essential Energy crews worked throughout yesterday and into the evening surveying damage to the electricity network and restoring power where access was available.

As of 6am there was just over 16,000 homes and businesses without power across communities from Tweed Heads south to Grafton with this number likely to change throughout the day. Teams restored power to more than 13,000 customers overnight.

Dependent on weather conditions today, Essential Energy is hopeful of surveying the network from the air via helicopter as initial investigations have confirmed significant damage to power poles and wires from trees falling over and debris being blown into the network.

Crews will also undertake repairs to the electricity network at Mount Nardi today where there has been significant damage to powerlines, again from fallen trees. This work will present several challenges due to access. Teams will utilise specialised equipment including all-terrain vehicles to support with repairs.

Essential Energy anticipates the biggest challenges to getting power back on for remaining customers will be rising flood waters and swollen creek beds, fallen vegetation and mud slides impacting access roads.

With rain likely to continue throughout today, customers are reminded to keep safety front of mind. This includes staying away from:

• Fallen powerlines or power poles on land or in water 
• flickering or no power supply  
• burnt areas in paddocks or roadsides  
• injured or downed livestock   
• smoke or fallen trees  

Call Essential Energy on 132080 to report the above damage. In an emergency always call 000. 

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website. 

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page.

Essential Energy crews were able to make some progress towards restoration throughout today (Saturday 8 March), thanks to a break in the weather across parts of Northern NSW.

As of 4.30pm, there are around 31,000 homes and businesses without power in various communities from Tweeds Heads through to Grafton due to the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred.

Crews were able to safely restore power to around 19,500 properties throughout the day, however, continued extreme weather has resulted in additional outages.

There has been a flood watch issued for multiple areas including the regions of Lismore, Dorrigo and Kyogle with significant rainfall forecast over the coming days. Customers are encouraged to prepare to be without power for several days as the extreme weather conditions continue to make it unsafe for crews to work in and cause damage to the network.

When the weather clears, additional crews will be brought in to assist with the cleanup and repairs, however, access to locations prone to flooding or landslides will delay restoration is some of the hinterland or more remote areas of the region.

If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.

If you need to evacuate for flood purposes, if safe to do so, please turn off all switches and mains before the flood goes through, this includes solar and/or battery systems.

We understand this is a very challenging time for our customers and we thank you for your patience and understanding. The safety of our crews and our communities is paramount.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

If you see any of the above or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

Weather conditions have been favourable in parts of Northern NSW this morning (Saturday 8 March) giving way for Essential Energy crews to get out to start accessing the damage and begin restoring the power where safe to do so.

As at 11am, there are just over 42,600 homes and businesses without power in various communities between Tweed Heads and Grafton due to the impacts of tropical cyclone Alfred.

The severe winds and heavy rain have left a path of fallen trees and vegetation debris that will need to be cleaned up before powerlines can be accessed or repaired. At this stage, there has not been any major damage to zone substations and flood waters have not reached any of Essential Energy’s depots.

Weather conditions are predicted to deteriorate this afternoon and into the evening that is expected to bring more rain and hamper electricity restoration efforts.

Crews will continue to make repairs when conditions are safe enough to do so. Additional crews are on standby to assist with the cleanup and restoration efforts once ex-tropical cyclone Alfred has cleared.

If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.

We understand that this is a very challenging time for our customers and we thank you for your patience and understanding. The safety of our crews and our communities is paramount.

If you need to evacuate for flood purposes, if safe to do so, please turn off all switches and mains before the flood goes through, this includes solar and/or battery systems.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

Throughout the storm, customers should look out for indicators of potential damage to the electricity network, such as:

• Fallen powerlines or power poles on land or in water
• flickering or no power supply
• burnt areas in paddocks or roadsides
• injured or downed livestock
• smoke or fallen trees.

If you see any of the above or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

Cyclone Alfred continued to bring gale force winds and intense rain over night, causing power outages for Essential Energy customers from Tweed Heads in the north to Grafton in the south.

As at 6am more than 39,000 homes and business were without power, with winds bringing down trees and blowing debris into powerlines.

The current weather conditions are preventing Essential Energy crews from making repairs at this time, however teams have undertaken significant preparation work including moving vehicles to assist access, arranging for fuel pods, logistics and communication tools for crews, readying extra resources from across the state to support when safe to do so and ensuring extra electrical equipment is available and ready to deploy into the area.

If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.

We understand that this is a very challenging time for our customers and we thank you for your patience and understanding. The safety of our crews and our communities is paramount.

Throughout the storm, customers should look out for indicators of potential damage to the electricity network, such as:

• Fallen powerlines or power poles on land or in water
• flickering or no power supply
• burnt areas in paddocks or roadsides
• injured or downed livestock
• smoke or fallen trees.

If you see any of the above or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

Essential Energy crews have been working to restore power where safe to do so in very challenging and dangerous conditions in the Northern Rivers and Far North Coast with over 38,000 homes and businesses without power.

As cyclone Alfred continues to linger, the heavy rain and severe winds will continue to hinder restoration efforts and customers need to be prepared to be without power for several days.

If flood waters impact communities, it will lengthen the time before power can be restored. Crews are unable to turn the power on safely if powerlines or areas of the network are in contact with water.

Crews are preparing the network for the predicted conditions as much as possible and are on standby, ready to begin the cleanup and repair any damage once the cyclone has passed in order to make it safe to turn the power back on.

We understand that this is a very challenging time for our customers and we thank you for your patience and understanding. The safety of our crews and our customers is paramount.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

If you see fallen powerlines or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

Conditions in the Northern Rivers and Far North Coast continue to be extremely dangerous, hindering restoration efforts for the over 43,000 homes and businesses without power.

The largest impacts at this stage are in communities between Tweed Heads and Yamba.

Crews were stood down at 3am this morning (Friday 7 March) for safety reasons with no work to recommence until the weather caused by cyclone Alfred has passed. The safety of our crews is paramount.

Customers need to be prepared to be without power for several days due to the severity of the damage to the network, the amount of vegetation debris and the locations of flood waters.

Customers should be careful when connecting small home generators and be aware of the following:

• Do not connect a generator directly to your home’s wiring system. An incorrectly connected generator has the potential to cause serious injury
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions
• Operate the generator outdoors and away from windows
• Do not overload the generator with appliances
• Switch the generator off when refuelling or not in use.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

If you see fallen powerlines or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

Cyclone Alfred has left over 35,000 homes and businesses without power in Northern NSW overnight after severe winds and heavy rain covered the region.

The worst hit communities are in the Northern Rivers and Far North Coast.

Essential Energy crews worked late into the evening to restore what they could safely until conditions became too dangerous to work in.

Once safe to do so, crews will continue to restore power where they can until they are able to access areas of the network that are flooded or damaged by wind or vegetation debris.

Due to the extreme conditions, the extent of the damage and the continuing weather event it may take several days before power is restored to customers.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

If you see fallen powerlines or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

As cyclone Alfred continues to slowly move towards the southeast Queensland coast, areas of the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast have seen more power outages throughout the day.

As of 4:30pm, around 10,000 homes and businesses in various communities between Tweed Heads and Bulahdelah have lost power with strong winds blowing vegetation and trees into contact with the electricity network.

Essential Energy crews are working to restore as soon as it is safe to do so as outages occur, with some locations unable to be accessed due to heavy rain fall flooding river crossings or water on the roads.

Extreme and dangerous weather conditions may hinder our crews’ ability to survey the network for damage or actively restore power, resulting in customers being without power for long periods of time.

If you need to evacuate for flood purposes, if safe to do so, please turn off all switches and mains before the flood goes through, this includes solar and/or battery systems.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our website outages page.

If you see fallen powerlines or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 13 20 80 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

High wind gusts from across the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast have caused power outages overnight and into this morning with vegetation coming in contact with the network.

Around 3,000 homes and businesses in various communities between Tweed Heads and Yamba were without power throughout the evening with just under 6,000 impacted early this morning (Thursday 6 March).

As of 10am, there were around 2100 homes and businesses without power in communities between Tweed Heads and Bulahdelah.

Essential Energy crews are working to restore as soon as it is safe to do so as outages occur and continue to prepare the network for greater impacts as cyclone Alfred continues.

Customers in the predicted impacted areas are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of losing power for several days depending on the damage to the electricity network from vegetation contacting the powerlines and the location of flood waters.

If you need to evacuate for flood purposes, if safe to do so, please turn off all switches and mains before the flood goes through, this includes solar and/or battery systems.

For information about evacuation centres in your area, please visit the NSW SES website.

Please keep in mind that it is not safe for crews to survey the network for damage or actively restore power in flood waters, lightning events or in extreme weather conditions, these conditions may hinder restoration times. 

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page.

If you see fallen powerlines or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 132080 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

Areas of the northern NSW have started to feel the impact of cyclone Alfred with some customers experiencing power outages in the Tweed Valley and Byron Bay regions.

Essential Energy crews have continued preparing the network for potential storm related power outages throughout today (Wednesday 5 March) as well as moving vehicles and equipment to higher ground.

Planned power outages for maintenance work in the predicted impacted areas are being postponed, with customers to be sent SMSs or email cancellation notifications. 

Damaging wind gusts and heavy rainfall are expected from this afternoon and into Friday (7 March 2025) for parts of the North Coast with flood warnings stretching down to the Mid North Coast.

Customers in these areas are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of losing power for several days depending on the damage to the electricity network from vegetation contacting the powerlines and the location of flood waters.

Preparing for floods:

• Where possible, raise all electrical appliances before the flood
• Consider arranging for your supply to be disconnected prior to the flood, if you have sufficient time to do so by phoning us on 132080 and requesting a de-energisation
• If your supply has not been disconnected, turn off all switches and mains before the flood goes through (do not use any part of your body to hold the meter box lid open – use the prop or an object which is non-conductive)
• More information can be found on our flood safety page

If power is lost, Essential Energy crews will be working to restore as soon as it is safe to do so. Please keep in mind that it is not safe for crews to survey the network for damage or actively restore power in flood waters, lightning events or in extreme weather conditions, these conditions may hinder restorations times. 

Customers should be careful when connecting small home generators and be aware of the following: 

• Do not connect a generator directly to your home’s wiring system. An incorrectly connected generator has the potential to cause serious injury 
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions 
• Operate the generator outdoors and away from windows 
• Do not overload the generator with appliances 
• Switch the generator off when refuelling or not in use 
• More information can be found on this fact sheet 

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page.

If you see fallen powerlines or powerlines in water, please stay away and call Essential Energy on 132080 to report the damage. In an emergency always call 000.

Essential Energy crews are preparing for the impact of cyclone Alfred that may cause rapid river rises and extensive flooding along NSW coastal rivers from the Queensland border through to Mid North Coast starting on Thursday 6 March and continuing through the weekend.

An Emergency Operations Centre has been established at Tweed Heads and the process for bringing in additional crews from across the footprint has begun. Portable generators, fuel pods and mobile communications systems are also being brought into the area.

We are working with a range of other agencies to prepare and plan for a multi-organisational approach to the clean-up and restoration efforts if the power system in the Northern Rivers and Mid North Coast is impacted. 

Customers in these areas are encouraged to prepare for the possibility of losing power for several days depending on the damage to the electricity network and the location of flood waters.

If power is lost, Essential Energy crews will be working to restore as soon as it is safe to do so. Please keep in mind that it is not safe for crews to survey the network for damage or actively restore power in flood waters, lightning events or in extreme weather conditions, these conditions may hinder restorations times. 

For up-to-date information on impacted locations and estimated restoration times (when known), visit our outages page.  

In the event of a storm, it’s important that everyone keeps safety front of mind and stays aware and safe.