Clarence Nationals MP Richie Williamson says Transgrid and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AMEO) need to come clean on why Essential Energy was ordered to shed load last night, leaving over 20,000 Northern Rivers residents in the dark on one of the coldest nights of the year.
Mr Williamson said early reports suggest issues with a major transmission line owned by Transgrid started the blackouts, but questions remain as to why the Northern Rivers was targeted to shed power.
"The unplanned power outage was vast, affecting thousands of residents from Casino, Lismore, Kyogle and surrounding communities," Mr Williamson said.
"It occurred right on dinner time leaving families in the dark late into the night without warning or without an explanation.
"It's not good enough and residents deserve answers as to why the blackout occurred, why it took so long to restore power, and provide a guarantee that similar shedding won't happen into the future.
"The community is owed answers and I'm calling on the AEMO and Transgrid to come clean and provide those answers as soon as possible."
Mr Williamson has already spoken with the CEO of Essential Energy about the outage.
