Power outages prompt legislation to protect infrastructure: Update July 2010

Three power outages in the early part of 2009, two of which were likely caused by excavation work, provided the impetus for the Energy Legislation Amendment (Infrastructure Protection) Act 2009 (Amending Act), and associated regulations which came into force on 1 July 2010.  

The Amending Act, which makes equivalent amendments to the Electricity Supply Act 1995 and Gas Supply Act 1996 aims to significantly strengthen the legislative protections for underground gas pipelines and electricity powerlines. 

In particular, persons proposing to undertake excavation work will now need to notify Dial Before You Dig at least 30 days before commencing work in a distribution district of a distribution network service provider.

To read the full Update, please download PDF.