Minns Government seeks energy bill relief for cyclone region

Residents and business owners in northern NSW have experienced substantial disruptions to their power supply due to ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred. It delivered heavy rain and severe winds to large areas of Northern NSW, causing extensive damage to the area's electricity distribution network.

A total of 84,000 homes and businesses experienced power outages across various communities from Tweed Heads to Grafton, and west to Armidale. Some lost power multiple times.

Essential Energy will waive the daily access charge for customers for the period they were without power.

While energy retailers have not played a role in relation to the power disruptions, Minister for Energy Penny Sharpe has written to 22 companies requesting their cooperation in supporting customers who live in local government areas included in the natural disaster declaration. The Minister has asked them to:

• waive the daily power supply charge for customers for the period they were not supplied electricity (by passing on the waiver being provided to retailers by Essential Energy)
• defer any electricity bills that are due to be sent to customers for 14 days
• defer any disconnections or repayment requirements for 14 days for affected customers in debt or with any amount owing on their account
• provide additional information about payment plan options and NSW Government financial support if customers find they are unable to pay their bill as a result of the cyclone impacts.

The NSW Government along with the Australian Government is working together to provide support to the affected area. A personal hardship grant with payments of $180 for individuals and up to $900 per family is available through Service NSW for essential costs such as food, clothing, medicine and emergency accommodation. To be eligible, individuals must have been subject to an evacuation order or have experienced a power outage of more than 48 hours.

Customers whose ability to repay their energy bills has been impacted by Ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred can also apply for NSW Government Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) support to help pay their energy bills. EAPA helps people experiencing difficulty paying their electricity and/or gas bill due to a short-term financial hardship, crisis or emergency to stay connected to essential services. EAPA can only be applied to current, unpaid energy bills.

Minister for Energy, Penny Sharpe said:

"It is important we provide as much support as possible to households and business owners who are recovering from ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

"I have written to energy retailers asking them to join Essential Energy in providing relief to customers in the natural disaster zone, and thank them in advance for any assistance they can offer."

Minister for Recovery, Small Business and the North Coast, Janelle Saffin said:

"Every bit of support counts for families, households and businesses doing it tough in the wake of this natural disaster.

"Thank you for your consideration of this request during this difficult time for the residents and businesses of the Northern Rivers and North Coast."

Further information:

• Essential Energy is one of three distribution network operators in NSW. Essential Energy, Ausgrid and Endeavour Energy are responsible for the distribution lines in a specified region:
  • Essential Energy - Riverina, South Eastern region, Northern NSW and Central Tablelands
  • Ausgrid - Sydney's north, Central Coast and Newcastle
  • Endeavour Energy - Blue Mountains, Western Sydney, Illawarra and South Coast
• Energy retailers such as Origin Energy, AGL, Red Energy and EnergyAustralia buy electricity from the market pool and contract with generators to manage prices.
  • Retailers then sell electricity to households and businesses. Most customers only ever interact with their retailer, which sends them their quarterly bill.
  • There are 22 energy retailers with customers in the region affected by the natural disaster from 3 March 2025.
• To assist customer recovery from the impacts of ex-cyclone Alfred and the extended periods of time without power, Essential Energy is offering financial and non-financial support. For more information visit the Essential Energy website.

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