Australia to support power restoration in Tonga

The Australian Government has sent a team of 10 technicians to Tonga tohelp restore power following the extensive damage caused by Tropical CycloneGita.

Approximately 50 per cent of the electricity network on Tongatapu,Tonga's main island and 15 per cent of the network on nearby 'Eua Island werecompromised. As a result, an estimated 80 per cent of homes in Tonga remainwithout power.

Australian technicians, together with a team from New Zealand, willassist Tonga Power to restore Tonga's critical electrical infrastructure.

With the assistance of Energy Networks Australia, the Government ispartnering with Australian energy companies NJ Construction, Essential Energy,TransGrid and Evoenergy, which have helped to rapidly source skilled personnelfor deployment to Tonga.

Australian technicians will help restore power back to homes, reinstatehealth and education services, and enable businesses to resume operations.

The team travelled to Tonga on an ADF C17-A Globemaster, the sixthflight transporting humanitarian supplies and Defence and civilian personnelsince the cyclone hit. They are the first of two Australian teams deployed overfour weeks whose contribution will help reduce the time Tongans are withoutpower from an estimated three months to one month.

This assistance forms part of the $3.5 million post-cyclone reliefpackage that Australia is providing to Tonga.