Electricity networks
Australia's Electricity Networks and Who Runs Your Area
Your retailer sends the bill, but a separate network business owns the poles and wires, fixes faults and connects your solar. Find yours, its faults line and what it means for your power bill.
- Networks
- 16
- distribution businesses
- Customers
- 11.1m
- on AER-regulated networks
- Line
- 764k km
- distribution network
- Bill share
- up to 46%
- network charges, 2024
Every electricity network
Your network is set by your address and named on your bill. Customer numbers and line length are from the AER as at 30 June 2024. The WA networks are regulated separately.
| Network | Customers | Line | Owner | Faults |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AusgridSydney, the Central Coast and the Hunter | 1,801,396 | 43,133 km | Part privately owned | 13 13 88 |
| Endeavour EnergyGreater Western Sydney, the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands, the Illawarra and the NSW South Coast | 1,112,797 | 40,430 km | Part privately owned | 131 003 |
| Essential EnergyRegional and rural NSW, with parts of southern Queensland | 956,776 | 193,437 km | Government owned | 13 20 80 |
| EnergexSouth-east Queensland | 1,618,370 | 56,798 km | Government owned | 13 62 62 |
| Ergon Energy NetworkRegional Queensland, outside the south-east | 792,127 | 154,426 km | Government owned | 13 22 96 |
| SA Power NetworksAll of South Australia's grid-connected homes and businesses | 945,709 | 90,576 km | Privately owned | 13 13 66 |
| CitiPowerMelbourne's CBD and inner suburbs | 350,648 | 4,596 km | Privately owned | 13 12 80 |
| PowercorMelbourne's western suburbs and western and central Victoria | 936,897 | 77,747 km | Privately owned | 13 24 12 |
| United EnergyMelbourne's south-east and the Mornington Peninsula | 717,973 | 13,531 km | Privately owned | 132 099 |
| AusNetMelbourne's outer east and north, and eastern and north-eastern Victoria | 823,455 | 46,489 km | Privately owned | 13 17 99 |
| JemenaMelbourne's north-west | 383,818 | 7,014 km | Privately owned | 131 626 |
| EvoenergyThe Australian Capital Territory | 225,475 | 5,816 km | Privately owned | 13 10 93 |
| TasNetworksAll of Tasmania | 307,118 | 22,947 km | Government owned | 132 004 |
| Western PowerPerth and the south-west of Western Australia | n/a | n/a | Government owned | 13 13 51 |
| Horizon PowerRegional and remote Western Australia outside the south-west | n/a | n/a | Government owned | 13 23 51 |
| Power and Water CorporationThe Northern Territory's regulated networks | 86,559 | 7,155 km | Government owned | 1800 245 092 |
Power out? Find who to call
Outages are fixed by your network, not your retailer. Choose your state for faults lines and outage maps.
- Power outages in AustraliaEvery network's faults line and outage map.
- Outages in New South WalesAusgrid, Endeavour, Essential.
- Outages in VictoriaCitiPower, Powercor, United Energy, AusNet, Jemena.
- Outages in QueenslandEnergex, Ergon.
- Outages in South AustraliaSA Power Networks.
- Outages in Western AustraliaWestern Power, Horizon Power.
- Outages in TasmaniaTasNetworks.
- Outages in Australian Capital TerritoryEvoenergy.
- Outages in Northern TerritoryPower and Water.
How the grid works
Who runs the poles and wires, and how they fit with the market.
- What is a DNSPThe business that owns the poles and wires in your street is not the one that sends your bill.
- Find your networkThree quick ways to find out which network brings power to your home, and why it is worth knowing before an outage or a plan comparison.
- Transmission networksThe high-voltage lines that carry power from generators to the cities, who owns them and what they cost the average household.
- National Electricity MarketThe NEM is the market and grid behind the electricity in five states and the ACT.
Networks and your bill
What the network part of your bill pays for and how it is set.
- Network chargesUp to almost half of a household power bill pays for the networks that deliver the electricity.
- Network tariffsBehind every retail plan sits a network tariff your retailer pays.
- How network prices are setNetworks cannot charge what they like.
- Network ownershipSome networks are owned by state governments, some by private investors and some by both.
Outages and reliability
Why the power goes out and what to do when it does.
- Network reliabilityThe average customer spent more than six hours without power in 2023-24.
- Planned outagesWhen your network switches the power off for maintenance, it has to tell you first.
- Blackout checklistA short, practical plan for a blackout: the calls to make, how to keep food safe and what not to do while you wait.
- Power out in your houseWhen your home is dark but the street is not, the fix is often a switch in your meter box.
- Load sheddingOn rare occasions the grid runs short of supply and power is switched off on purpose to protect it.
Solar and the grid
Export limits, export pricing and new technology on the network.
- Solar export limitsYour network decides how much solar you can send to the grid.
- Solar export chargesSometimes called the sun tax, export pricing lets networks charge for midday solar exports and reward evening ones.
- Emergency backstopNew rooftop solar in most states must be able to be turned down remotely in a grid emergency.
- Community batteriesNeighbourhood batteries store the midday solar a street cannot use and release it in the evening.
- Stand-alone power systemsSome farms now get their power from solar, batteries and a generator on site instead of kilometres of powerline.
Safety and connections
Powerlines, poles, trees and getting a new home connected.
- Fallen powerlinesA fallen powerline can kill without warning.
- Trees near powerlinesThe answer to who trims the tree depends on which line it is near.
- Private power polesIf a power pole stands on your land and serves only your property, it is probably yours to maintain.
- Before you digA free enquiry before you dig can stop a fence post or pool hole hitting a live cable.
- Voltage problemsYour power should arrive at about 230 volts.
- New connectionsBuilding or renovating? Here is who does what to get the power connected, how NSW differs, and which costs usually land with you.