Mallacoota Area Grid Storage (MAGS)

Community update – 13 November 2023

We’ll be carrying out essential maintenance works from Monday 13 November to Sunday 26 November.

There will be two short outages on Wednesday 22nd and Thursday 23rd afternoon. There is also a possibility of short interruptions on other days – if this happens, our crews will work to get your power back on as soon as possible.

Testing schedule:

Community update - 4 September 2023

We’re replacing power poles near Cann River on Thursday 7th September as part of our bushfire mitigation works. This work will happen between 8:30am and 4pm.

MAGS will supply power to Mallacoota during the works, however there may be short periods of power interruptions during the day, dependent on weather conditions.

The forecast is partly cloudy, why would this affect MAGS?

If the sun is shining, rooftop solar systems will be generating more electricity than usual. If there’s an excess of solar generation which is not used for homes or businesses, this electricity gets fed back into the grid.
As MAGS is already supplying power to the town using a generator, there may be a large increase in power flow across the network, potentially causing functional issues.

How are we managing this?

While the weather outlook looks optimal, we will be monitoring MAGS throughout the day and our teams will be on standby both onsite and remotely to adjust the power supply settings on the day if required.

MAGS also has a control system which automatically adjusts the level of power flow depending on what’s currently in the grid. However, this is most effective when the power is not disconnected for extended periods of time.

If MAGS is impacted by excess solar generation, this may result in short periods of power interruptions rather than an extended outage. Your power will be fully restored after our program of works is completed on the day.

What improvements to MAGS have been completed so far?

We’ve delivered on our promise to station a registered electrical contractor (REC) in Mallacoota, who will ensure any issues are addressed as quickly as possible and our tests are completed with minimal impacts to the community.

In the last few months, we upgraded the generator’s control system and installed new automatic switches to provide greater network flexibility if an outage occurs.

Our crews will continue powerline patrols to identify bark and other tree debris that may cause supply interruptions. We may increase this over the coming months leading up to potential bushfire season.

We will keep you updated with what’s next on the horizon for MAGS, so please keep an eye on our Facebook page, or ensure your retailer has your mobile number so we can SMS you.

Community update - 28 July 2023

We’re upgrading MAGS and running functional tests as part of our program of works to increase the reliability and stability of the battery system during a network outage. There will be works and testing happening from Monday 7 August until Wednesday 16 August.

What to expect

• Monday 7 – Wednesday 9 August
  To prepare for testing, our crews will be installing new concrete power poles and connecting underground cables to existing power poles.

After this happens, there will be further works which will require short interruptions to your power supply during the following times:

• Thursday 10 August
  A high-voltage generator will keep the power flowing for the town during works on this day, however a short, 30-minute outage will occur between 5:00pm and 5:30pm. This is so we can safely disconnect the town from the generator and reconnect it to the grid.


• Wednesday 16 August
  A series of short, intermittent outages between 12pm and 6pm as we test MAGS and ensure the new upgrades are performing as expected. Our generator will remain onsite and be available to supply back-up power in the unlikely event of a prolonged power outage during the testing period.


• Additional outage (date to be confirmed)
  A small number of customers may experience an additional short outage. This is due to routine maintenance on a transformer in the area and separate to the MAGS program of works.

For tips and advice on how to prepare for an outage, see Be Power Prepared.

Why these works are important

These works will allow us to install a new automatic switch, which is designed to increase our ability to control MAGS remotely from our Control Centre. This will replace an existing ‘manual switch’ and improve the amount of time it takes to get your power back on if there’s an unexpected outage.

How to get updates

We have sent an SMS to Mallacoota residents about these planned outages. If you did not get an SMS, make sure your electricity retailer (the company you pay your power bills to) has your current mobile number. They’ll pass it onto us and we can start texting you updates.

Community update - 31 May 2023

Improving and increasing the reliability and stability of MAGS remains a priority for us as we explore a number of short and long-term solutions to support Mallacoota during a network outage.

We have already implemented an interim process, where if network outage occurs and MAGS doesn’t start automatically, our control room is alerted and is then able to remotely start MAGS. It usually takes up to 30 minutes for this to happen.

In the short term, we’ll also:
•    be stationing a registered electrical contractor (REC) in Mallacoota to address any issues as they arise
•    upgrade the generator’s control system
•    increase powerline patrols to identify bark and other tree debris that may cause supply interruptions
•    install automatic switches to provide greater network flexibility if an outage occurs.

We’ll keep you updated when we have finalised our long-term solutions to improve the reliability of MAGS during outages.

Community update - 3 May 2023

Our crews are working to fix an outage that is also impacting the back-up battery system. We apologise for the inconvenience and will keep you informed of our progress.

Unfortunately, more severe weather is expected, so please take care and we will get the power back on as soon as safely possible.

Check our Outage Tracker for an estimated restoration time. For more tips and advice on what to do during an outage see Be Power Prepared. 

Community update - 27 April 2023

AusNet customers would have recently received an SMS from us about a possible upcoming power interruption on 11 May 2023, between 3pm and 6pm.  

This is due to testing of the Mallacoota Area Grid Storage (MAGS) system. Our crews will be running full functional tests, which may cause a series of short, intermittent outages during this time. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.  

These works are required to check the MAGS system’s performance after the recent technical issues and subsequent repair and upgrade works were carried out. We are also currently waiting on some parts from the battery manufacturer Samsung in South Korea, before the issues are fully resolved.  

Community update - 20 April 2023

Since 2021, the MAGS battery has been supporting the delivery of backup power to the town of Mallacoota.

While this system has reduced the frequency of power interruptions in the area, managing grid stability over one of the longest lines through complex terrain in Victoria remains a challenge.

Over the Easter long weekend, tree debris interfered with powerlines and resulted in outages from Saturday morning until Sunday evening. MAGS did not supply backup power during this time due to technical issues we discovered while investigating the outages.

We understand that these outages caused significant disruptions and inconvenience to the community and activities over the long weekend, including the highly anticipated Far East Music Festival. We sincerely apologise to Mallacoota’s residents and holidaymakers.

This week our crews have been able to address the technical issues, which means the system is able to provide backup power generation in case of an outage. Our crews are currently onsite and will remain in Mallacoota until Tuesday afternoon to support power supply in the unlikely case of an outage this weekend.

We’re conscious of the unique power supply considerations in Mallacoota. We also know that the community would like more information on the status and ongoing performance of MAGS.

We're directly communicating with Mallacoota residents with updates.

• To get SMS updates from us, please make sure your electricity retailer has your current mobile number. They'll pass it onto us and we'll start sending you updates.
• You can follow us on Facebook for updates. 
• If you're a life support customer, please be ready to activate your emergency plan during the testing period. Life support customers can call our priority line anytime on 1800 818 832.