Essential Energy will undertake work at North Bellingen from 9.30pm-4am on Saturday.
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The unusual time has led one resident to ask what’s happening and why they cannot park their car in the street.
“I am not sure what they want us to do without a parking spot at my premises,” the concerned resident said.
“That leaves us in dark, cold houses without entertainment or cooking etc all night.
“What work needs to be done overnight on a weekend?
“I am not tickled at the idea of a cold night at home alone in the dark. I bet there are more people than just me. It’s not like it's a storm or emergency.”
In response an Essential Energy spokesperson said they have a responsibility to ensure a safe, reliable and sustainable power supply for all customers.
“At times this involves turning the power off to allow crews to safely undertake maintenance or upgrade work,” the spokesperson said.
“The project in Bellingen this Saturday involves the replacement of two power poles, installation of a new switch and high voltage maintenance work along Hammond Street, Dowle and Lyon Streets, Bellingen.
“A lot of planning goes into any project and one of the main considerations is understanding when the safest time for both employees and customers is to undertake the work with the least amount of impact to the community.
“Traffic and pedestrian movement in this area is high, and with consideration of this and some local small businesses, it was agreed to undertake the work overnight to minimise the impact to customers.
“A small number of customers along Lyon Street have been asked to park their vehicles off the road to allow Essential Energy’s fleet to safely fit in the area to replace two poles.
“A planned power outage will affect 141 residents from 9.30pm – 4am.
“Essential Energy wrote to customers affected by this work, in advance, to let them know the time, date and duration of the outage.
“We apologise for the inconvenience this work may cause and encourage customers to contact us on 13 20 80 if they have further concerns.”