Energex and Ergon Energy Network will be installing fireproof mesh on another 2000 power poles in bushfire zones across Queensland after a successful statewide trial.
South east Queenslanders have begun seeing these bushfire-wrapped poles from the Sunshine Coast to the New South Wales border and out to the Toowoomba foothills.
After proving to be a game changer for electricity network resilience during wildfires in Canada and North America, network manager Keegan Oliver said the innovative product, called FireMesh, had passed its first test in Queensland with flying colours.
“One of our key trial sites, where a bushfire recently burnt through, there was no damage to the 19 poles we had wrapped with FireMesh and we were able to get the power back on to nearly 2000 properties in the area much sooner as a result,” Mr Oliver said.
“When the FireMesh installed at the base of the power pole senses heat, it activates and swells up to form a fireproof blanket around the pole and protects it from the fire.
“We have already installed the protective barrier on 1200 power poles in Queensland. Following the successful trial, we plan to put it on another 2000 poles over the next year and we intend to continue at that rate for the foreseeable future.“
Nearly 100 fire-damaged power poles have been replaced this season, so areas where the risk of bushfires is higher, site access is more challenging, and customers are more heavily impacted will be the priority for FireMesh installation.
“We have 1.7 million poles and a significant proportion of those are in fire-prone areas so it will take us some time, but our initial focus will be the areas of our network at greatest risk so we should see a significant reduction in damage in the early years,“ he said.
“This will reduce the impact of bushfires on the customers and communities we serve because we can restore power as soon as the fire threat has eased when there is no need for emergency repairs.
“The advantage of FireMesh is it’s quick and relatively low cost to install, as well as a very effective control and risk mitigation against fire.”
Property owners can do their bit to reduce the risk of damage from fires by leaving a five-metre buffer around the base of any power poles and closely monitoring their hazard reduction burns.
