“Aurora you suck” were the words Chatto Creek Tavern posted on its Facebook page last week, in response to ongoing planned power outages over the past six weeks.

Owners Fiona and Grant Sutherland have been plagued with outages and power cuts since they bought the pub two years ago, and have labeled the ongoing maintenance from Aurora Energy a “corporate disaster.”

The tavern won’t be opening again today (Wednesday September 7), and spending $15,000 on a generator to run the business safely isn’t an option financially. 

The last planned outage was on August 25, and before that August 11. Aurora held a public meeting in Omakau in May to inform affected residents of the upcoming work to the Omakau substation, and also sent letters out to the 52 affected householders.

But Fiona said no help has been offered to affected businesses, and she was worried for many people in her community that struggled with the ongoing disruption.

Poor cellphone reception at Chatto Creek further added to the frustration, and when the tavern’s chef came down sick with Covid recently, she couldn't ring anyone to let them know - having to suffer on her own.

Aurora Energy chief executive Dr Richard Fletcher confirmed there would be further planned outages between now and March 2023, when the new substation is scheduled to be operational.

“We are making good progress on the work in Omakau to improve the reliability of electricity supply for customers in the area, and have written to customers twice this year to give them an update, as well as hosting a face-to-face meeting earlier this year. 

“Planned outages are sometimes required while we work on the network, to ensure the safety of both the public and our contractors. Where possible, we’ll provide temporary generation to schools, early childcare, healthcare, elderly care facilities and veterinary clinics. 

“For other customers that need a guaranteed continuous electricity supply, we recommend they arrange for temporary power generation as part of their routine business continuity planning. This can range from an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) to keep phones and EFTPOS running, to a standby petrol or diesel generator. We are happy to provide advice on generation options.”

Richard acknowledged that the outages were frustrating for customers, whether it be planned or unplanned, “however the longer-term benefits from upgrading the Omakau network will outweigh the short-term inconvenience”. 

“After March 2023, we anticipate far less disruption because the work we are doing will create greater network flexibility and the new generator being installed will also help provide back-up supply during future outages.”

Aurora also has pole replacement work in the area between January and March next year, and customers will be notified if they will be affected by this.

Fiona estimates they have had 15 power cuts in two years, and at a recent community meeting by the energy provider, was told that while 30 per cent was from equipment failure, a further 30 per cent was still unknown.

She said every day having to close the pub is another day without income, after an already tumultuous few years with lockdowns and restrictions.

“It’s not lining [our] pockets… it's just paying the bills,” she said.