Darwin's Suburbs Gain Underground Power to Protect it from Storm Damage
Saturday March 7, 2009
Houses in Darwin's northern suburbs are going underground with full deployment by the year';s end to protect them from blackouts during storms.
Power and Water in Darwin installed underground power lines to 9,000 in Darwin suburbs in Nightcliff and Rapid Creek and will roll out the system in another 660 in Millner by the end of 2009.
The Northern Territory Government has a 20-year underground power project that will give 40,000 Darwin households underground power in and around Darwin.
Essential Services Minister Rob Knight said that replacing power lines with underground cables was important to install to ensure Darwin and Northern Territorians were guaranteed power.
"Trees falling on power lines and lightening strikes cause significant problems for the suburbs, not only in Darwin, but right across the Territory," he told the Northern Territory News.
"This is about getting to the areas that really experience problems - particularly in Darwin, with cyclones and the vegetation growth."
