00:02In York Peninsula towns, some have been waiting for the announcement for months.
00:06This wouldn't happen in a metropolitan area at all.
00:09They wouldn't stand for this and I guarantee that SA Power Networks wouldn't allow it to go on as long
00:15as it did.
00:16But because it was regional, it was like as if, ah, we'll get to that.
00:21Since late 2024, parts of the York and Eyre Peninsulas and the Limestone Coast have been plagued by countless blackouts,
00:28costing businesses hundreds of thousands.
00:31If you're looking at the whole summers, two summers together, wages, product, we're still paying our quarterly electricity,
00:40you can have anywhere between $100,000 to $150,000.
00:44In prolonged dry conditions, dust, salt and other contaminants can settle on insulators.
00:49And with light moisture, flash over events can create power outages.
00:53Repeated events can cause the insulators to deteriorate.
00:57Works to replace 10,000 insulators across the state are set to begin in July, with preliminary scoping already underway.
01:05Helicopters will be used to coat 2,000 in silicon, preventing the build-up of pollution and prolonging the insulator's
01:12lifespan.
01:12But many wish the money had been spent on preventing the problem in the first place.
01:17Every year, it should be, you know, when I was a kid, there was always a chopper flying around,
01:20washing off insulators and doing all that.
01:22But noticeably, over the last 10 years, it hasn't happened.
01:26It's there.
01:26It's just the maintenance has gone, and now we're getting the issues.
01:29In a statement, SA Power Network says the insulator problem wasn't considered a major reliability challenge until last summer.
01:37And since then, fixing the problem has become its highest priority.
01:41It's denied a lack of maintenance has contributed to the impacts of insulator pollution.
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