Powercor cutting trees back from powerlines in Buloke Shire this month

Powercor will be cutting tree branches back from powerlines across a number of towns in the Buloke Shire this month as part of its vegetation management program.

Starting next week, Powercor contractors will be trimming vegetation near powerlines to allow for at least two years’ growth, ensuring lines are kept clear.

Locals will notice trucks and crews completing the work in Wycheproof, Sea Lake, Charlton, Donald and Birchip.

Traffic management will be in place, with some minimal road and pedestrian access temporarily impacted.

Powercor’s Vegetation program Delivery Manager, Rick Hill, said the works in Buloke Shire’s township areas followed significant cutting in the more rural areas around the region.

“These works are all about keeping the network safe and reliable,” Mr Hill said.

“We’ve made great progress in the higher risk areas and we’re now turning to the townships themselves.”

This comes as Powercor helicopters are scanning powerlines from the air in Victoria’s north-west during June and July.

People may see and hear the choppers, which fly about 300 metres above the ground and use technology known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to scan the distance between tree branches and powerlines.

Using the LiDAR data, Powercor teams create 3D models of powerlines and their surroundings, helping to inform what vegetation needs to be cut.

“Inspecting and managing vegetation growing near powerlines is an essential part of how we keep power safe and reliable for our customers,” Mr Hill said.

“By capturing data every year, we can track growth rates of vegetation across our network, helping us plan where to cut right now and when we may need to conduct cutting in the future.”

Each year Powercor uses a fleet of three helicopters to inspect 100 per cent of more than 77,000 kilometres of powerlines across western Victoria.

How our cutting program works

• Our trained cutting teams can enter private property to cut trees back from powerlines, and also work on public land across our network.
• Our teams need to meet clearance requirements that are regulated by Victoria’s energy safety regulator, Energy Safe Victoria (ESV).
• Larger clearance areas are required in areas of higher bushfire risk.
• For private property, our teams notify customers of cutting required at their address, complete the required pruning work then return to remove debris.
• When urgent cutting is identified, we aren’t always able to provide advance notice.