Powercor pleaded guilty to 104 charges related to a failure of general duty, failure to inspect power lines, and failure to mitigate bushfire risk.Electricity distribution company Powercor has admitted to failing to cut back vegetation around its powerlines, triggering a risk management failure that resulted in a bushfire in western Victoria.
The blaze burnt across about 185 hectares of land, threatening homes and destroying sheds, fences, and farming equipment.The 104 charges related to a failure of general duty, failure to inspect power lines, and failure to mitigate bushfire risk by cutting back vegetation that was too close to power lines.
Powercor was required to clear and inspect lines every calendar year ahead of the fire danger period.Energy Safe Victoria inspections in 2021 and 2022 showed 140 instances of vegetation not meeting the minimum clearance distance from powerlines in areas across Victoria and including Ballarat, Bendigo, Hamilton, and Terang.On the day of the Glenmore fire a total fire ban was in place with extreme weather conditions, the court heard.
In December 2022, Powercor cancelled cutting works below the powerline to focus on areas considered to be of higher priority.In pleading guilty, Powercor said workforce shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic had severely hampered the company's capacity to clear vegetation trees and inspect lines.