Investigation into Terang fire reveals Powercor lines did not meet Australian standards

A technical investigation released by Energy Safe Victoria on Monday found Powercor’s lines near the Terang zone sub-station had not been constructed consistent with national or the company’s own standards.

It also found the lines did not allow sufficient clearance between electrical circuits during the high winds on March 17. Molten material falling on arcing and clashing conductors was the likely cause of Terang’s fire, the report found.

The distance between the 22kV conductors and the ground was also not constructed to the Australian or Powercor standard. The fire raced in a south-westerly direction, destroying a house nearby and narrowly missing two of town’s major employers, Ridley Agriproducts’ mill and Grass Growers.

Winds were recorded at up to 104 km/h at the nearest weather station at 8pm on the night of the fire.

The report found there was no evidence from Powercor’s inspection records that conductor clearances had been logged as a defect or that ground clearance measurements were taken.

ESV said it would continue its investigation into the Terang fire to determine the nature and extent of any breaches to regulations and any possible enforcement action.

Investigations into The Sisters fire, which involved the failure of a power pole, are still in progress. 

The ESV report said it involved complex forensic analysis and investigation and may take two or three months to complete. 

Once this is complete ESV will determine the nature and extent of any breaches to the acts and regulations and possible enforcement action.

ESV also worked with CFA investigators to determine the cause of the Gazette and Gnotuk fires. They determined those blazes were caused by vegetation falling from outside required clearance zones on to power lines.

A class action has been launched by Warrnambool’s Maddens Lawyers against Powercor for the Terang fires. 

The estimated damages bill for the bushfire is likely to exceed $40 million. 

A Powercor spokeswoman gave a brief statement when contacted for comment. 

“We understand how devastating these fires have been for the community, and we cooperated with Energy Safe Victoria during its investigations,” she said.

“We are currently reviewing the report and will determine whether there are ways we can further strengthen the safety of the network. Given the current legal proceedings, we are unable to make further comment.”