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Qld: Power being returned to north Qld after massive outage


22 Jan 2009 7:50 PM

BRISBANE, Jan 22 AAP - Power is slowly being returned to north Queensland after a massive outage blacked out all homes and businesses north of Townsville.

Powerlink Queensland said an unexpected fault to the main transmission network south of Townsville caused the problem about 5.45pm (AEST) on Thursday.

Chief operating officer Simon Bartlett told ABC Radio crews were restoring power progressively.

"We're working as quickly as we can to get the customers back on again," Mr Bartlett said.

A lightning strike could be to blame, but it was too early to determine the cause, he said.

"We've had some really severe lightning storms, as everyone knows, throughout the state, and these lightning bolts can hit the transmission system," he said.

Two large power stations in the Townsville region were coming back on line about 6.30pm (AEST) with power stations in the Cairns area to follow.

Both cities should have power around 7pm (AEST).