The amphibian answer to Kempsey Shire’s Tuesday night blackout

The Mid North Coaster understands a frog is the reason more than 1,800 homes and businesses in the Kempsey Shire experienced a power outage last night.

What happened: At about 7.45pm a fault was detected in Essential Energy’s Smithtown Zone Substation causing an unplanned power outage while crews investigated the issue.

Wildlife the cause: An Essential Energy spokesperson told the Mid North Coaster “wildlife was identified as the likely cause of the fault”.

🗣️ “Due to the nature of our power network spanning across regional, rural and remote NSW, wildlife can occasionally come into contact with infrastructure, causing unplanned outages,” the spokesperson said.

Outage impacts a big patch: Parts of Hat Head, Smithtown, Gladstone, Kinchela, Belmore River, Yarrahappinni, Clybucca, Austral Eden, Barraganyatti, Summer Island, Kempsey, Stuarts Point, Rainbow Beach and surrounding areas were affected. 

Five hours later: Crews responded immediately, completed repairs and restored power to everyone just after midnight. 

If you’re experiencing a blackout or need assistance, you can report damaged electricity infrastructure immediately to Essential Energy on 13 20 80, or Triple-zero if life-threatening.

Thumbnail credit: Unsplash