SA Power Networks, the sole electricity distributor for South Australia
SA Power Networks is the only electricity distribution network in South Australia, serving around 900,000 customers across the entire state. It is the network with the highest rooftop solar penetration in the world, with more than 40% of homes hosting panels, which has reshaped both the technical operation of the grid and the way outages are managed. The SA Power Networks outage map is the tool customers check first when the power goes out in Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa, the Fleurieu Peninsula, the Riverland or the Eyre Peninsula.
- The size of the SA Power Networks grid and the regions it covers
- Why bushfires, storms and supply shortages drive outages in South Australia
- The investments and technologies behind a renewable-heavy state grid
- The customer-facing outage map, alerts and concessions
One network for an entire state, with the world's highest rooftop solar share
SA Power Networks is owned by a consortium of Cheung Kong Infrastructure (CKI), Power Assets Holdings and Spark Infrastructure. It is regulated by the AER like every NEM distributor.
Key figures for the SA Power Networks electric network:
- Around 900,000 customer connections.
- About 1.7 million people served, the entire population of South Australia.
- Around 178,000 square kilometres of service area on the SA section of the NEM.
- About 90,000 kilometres of powerlines.
- More than 400,000 rooftop solar installations, the highest household solar penetration of any electricity grid in the world.
The network covers metropolitan Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills, the Barossa Valley, the Fleurieu and Yorke Peninsulas, the Mid North, the Riverland, the South East and the Eyre Peninsula.
Why bushfires, heatwaves and supply tightness shape SA outages
South Australia's outage profile is unusual: distribution outages are driven by a fire-prone landscape, but supply-side outages are also a recurring concern on what was, until 2017, an isolated grid with limited generation reserves.
Bushfires
The Adelaide Hills, the Mount Lofty Ranges, the Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island sit in some of the highest fire-risk landscapes in Australia. The 2019 to 2020 fires destroyed thousands of poles on Kangaroo Island and across the Hills. SA Power Networks runs a Bushfire Risk Management Plan with REFCL-style protection, vegetation clearance and pre-emptive de-energising on catastrophic fire days.
Extreme heatwaves
Adelaide is one of the hottest capital cities in Australia. Multi-day heatwaves stress transformers, reduce conductor capacity and trigger AEMO-directed load shedding when generation reserves run low.
Supply-side blackouts
South Australia experienced a state-wide blackout in September 2016 caused by transmission damage during a severe storm combined with cascading wind-farm trips, leaving 1.7 million customers without power. The grid has since been hardened with the Hornsdale Power Reserve (Tesla Big Battery) and Project EnergyConnect to NSW.
Severe storms and high winds
Cold-front storms in winter and intense thunderstorms in summer bring down lines across the state. The October 2024 storms left more than 160,000 customers without power across SA.
Project EnergyConnect, batteries and a grid built for solar exports
SA's investment programme reflects two priorities: hardening the grid against fire and severe weather, and managing the world-leading levels of rooftop solar.
SA Power Networks investment highlights
- Around $3 billion of capital expenditure proposed for the 2025 to 2030 regulatory period.
- Connection of Project EnergyConnect, the new 800 km interconnector linking SA and NSW that ended SA's grid isolation.
- Bushfire hardening across the Adelaide Hills, Kangaroo Island, the Fleurieu and the South East.
- Voltage-management and flexible-export upgrades to accommodate the world's highest household solar penetration.
Project EnergyConnect
Project EnergyConnect connects Robertstown in SA to Wagga Wagga in NSW via 800 kilometres of new 330 kV transmission line. It ends SA's reliance on the single existing Heywood interconnector to Victoria and reduces the risk of supply-side blackouts like the 2016 event.
Big batteries
South Australia hosts the Hornsdale Power Reserve (the original Tesla Big Battery), the Torrens Island Battery and other grid-scale storage projects. These batteries provide fast-frequency response that can prevent supply-side cascades, complementing distribution-side resilience.
Bushfire hardening
SA Power Networks is replacing wooden poles with composite and steel in the highest fire-risk zones, installing covered conductor on key feeders, and undergrounding selected sections in the Adelaide Hills and on Kangaroo Island.
Flexible exports, smart meters and the digital network
Flexible solar exports
SA Power Networks introduced dynamic operating envelopes for new rooftop solar systems in 2023, replacing static export limits. The system communicates in real time with home inverters to throttle export when the grid would otherwise be overwhelmed by midday solar generation.
Smart meters
SA Power Networks is rolling out smart meters in line with the national 2030 target, supporting outage detection at the property level and confirmation of restoration.
Self-healing network
Automated reclosers and FLISR systems are deployed across the metropolitan network and key rural feeders. They isolate faults within seconds, limiting customer impact.
Network monitoring
SA Power Networks operates a 24/7 control centre in Adelaide that monitors every substation and major feeder. SCADA and smart-meter data feed the outage management system.
Outage map, alerts and SA energy concessions
SA Power Networks outage map
SA Power Networks publishes a public outage map updated in near real time. Customers can check outage status by address or suburb and see estimated restoration times. The map is the primary tool used during storm and bushfire events.
Outage alerts and app
Customers can register for SMS, email or app alerts when an outage is reported at their address. Updates include estimated restoration times and crew progress.
Life support customers
Households relying on life-support equipment can register through their retailer for priority notifications of planned outages and prioritised restoration.
SA energy concessions
Eligible South Australians can apply for the Energy Concession, the Medical Heating and Cooling Concession and the Emergency Electricity Payment Scheme, administered by the Department of Human Services.
SA Power Networks within the wider Australian grid
For a wider view of how Australia's three power grids are structured, see the Australian power outage page. SA Power Networks is the only distributor in South Australia, so there is no neighbouring distributor inside the state. When the power is restored but the internet is still down in SA, the largest fixed-line provider is the NBN, and most customers buy retail broadband from Telstra, Optus or TPG.