As at 10.30am
11 January, 2026
Significant progress is being made restoring power to fire-affected communities in western Victoria.
Powercor crews are conducting repairs on the power network damaged by the Cobden, Streatham/Skipton and Natimuk fires, with more than 57 poles already replaced and at least another 172 needing to be replaced.
While the Harcourt area largely remains unsafe to access, yesterday crews worked closely with CFA teams to access the town and conduct some repairs. We will continue working closely with emergency authorities and will begin repairs as soon as its safe.
About 2,100 customers are off supply following Friday’s severe weather and fires. These outages are caused by fire damage to poles, lines and other electrical assets.
Today, crews are continuing to assess damage and rebuild extensive areas of the network. This work includes:
- In Natimuk, 40 damaged poles and other assets are being replaced. Yesterday teams replaced eight poles and rebuilt the network to restore power to the township. Work is expected to continue into tomorrow.
- In Cobram, crews are replacing 30 poles destroyed by fire. Most are expected to be completed today but some work is likely to continue tomorrow.
- In Skipton/Streatham, crews are replacing over 110 poles and rebuilding parts of the network. The extensive rebuild work will take some days.
- In Shelford/Meredith, we are monitoring an active fire that has impacted parts of the network. Drones were used yesterday to assess parts of the work and work will begin once it’s safe to do so.
We know being without power during this challenging time is hard. We have plenty of crews on the ground doing everything possible to safely restore supply to about 2,100 customers.
A big thank you to the CFA and other emergency agencies for helping our crews access fire grounds safely. Your support is essential to our restoration work.
On-the-ground support
Our emergency response vehicles and community support teams will be on the ground in Bendigo and Natimuk from 9am today, providing assistance to residents affected by recent outages.
Customers can speak with our teams their power supply, charge mobiles or other devices, or grab a coffee. We are at:
- Bendigo Relief Centre – Bendigo Showgrounds
- Natimuk Recreation Reserve
Reconnecting private properties
- If your property has been disconnected or affected by fire or water, you will need a registered electrical contractor:
- Search by location through Energy Safe Victoria at: https://esv.vic.gov.au/licensing-coes/public-register-and-searches/
- The electrician will complete a safety and compliance inspection
- Once any repairs are done they will issue a Certificate of Electrical Safety to us (at info@powercor.com.au)
- They’ll arrange the reconnection of your power through us by phoning 1300 360 410.
Powercor will be waiving reconnection fees for properties affected by these bushfires.
