The company said this was a significant step towards enhancing network reliability for Euroa and nearby communities.
The newly installed equipment has been activated, and the project now moves into its final monitoring and testing phase.
The upgrade follows power outages in Euroa, Nagambie, Violet Town and Longwood during summer 2023-24, that left thousands of local residents without electricity for hours at a time.
AusNet executive general manager distribution Andrew Linnie said these upgrades were completed ahead of schedule and represented AusNet’s commitment to delivering robust, reliable service to the region.
“These improvements mean that when faults do occur, our crews will be able to identify and isolate the fault quicker, reducing unplanned outage times for customers,” he said.
As part of the testing phase, AusNet has commenced fault testing on the network. Residents may experience brief outages over the next few weeks as settings are fine-tuned to optimise network performance.
Further improvements included enhanced equipment assessments and vegetation management. AusNet removed 164 hazard trees and conducted targeted inspections across 1400 spans of overhead lines, focusing on animal-proofing measures.
AusNet said throughout these critical works, it had engaged proactively with the local community via the Strathbogie Benalla Community Liaison Group, ensuring ongoing updates, transparency, and responsive handling of any community concerns.
State Member for Euroa Annabelle Cleeland welcomed the upgrades, and also AusNet’s proposal to submit a $17 million project to construct an express powerline from Benalla to Euroa to the Australian Energy Regulator.
This would provide the region with a secondary power supply, taking strain away from the existing one.
“Unfortunately, over the last summer and for much of this year, too many households and businesses in the Euroa region have suffered due to regular and prolonged power outages,” Ms Cleeland said.
“It was pleasing to hear that several upgrades have now been completed that are expected to improve the reliability of the energy supply for our residents.
“In particular, I am thrilled to be hearing that a second powerline is being proposed. This is something our community has been requesting for the better part of a year, and it is so satisfying to see this advocacy be rewarded.”
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