A severe weather event last year caused significant damage in far west New South Wales, knocking down seven power transmission towers and leaving thousands without electricity for weeks. The outage affected over 10,000 homes and businesses in Broken Hill and surrounding areas. Abigail Hughes, who owns a cafe in Broken Hill, reported losses exceeding $30,000 due to the disruption. "We lost over $30,000 as a whole, so that was pretty full on," Hughes said. "I would say we've tried to recoup that, but that's only been through a lot of hard work and sacrifice."

David Trinder, another local business owner, faced losses of around $20,000 from lost sales, spoiled stock, and cleanup costs. He attempted to file an insurance claim but found the process overwhelming. "Coming off the back of previous insurance claims with all the hailstorms in 2016, all the premiums had gone up," Trinder explained. He described the claims process as exhausting, stating, "Trying to legitimise everything was like pulling teeth."

The blackouts also impacted the region's largest employer, the mining sector, which had to stand down hundreds of workers until power was restored. The New South Wales government declared the situation a natural disaster shortly after the outage. Compounding the issue, one of the city's two diesel-powered emergency backup generators was offline for maintenance, leaving the other unable to meet demand. This led to further rolling blackouts in some areas, lasting several days.

Rita Bruggy, a 77-year-old resident of Broken Hill, criticized the privately-owned network operator Transgrid for its handling of the situation. "Being the organization that they are, I feel that Transgrid could have done more, and they should do more with the upkeep of their generators," Bruggy said.

In response to the crisis, Transgrid, with assistance from Essential Energy, installed temporary transmission towers to restore power in the weeks following the outage. Permanent replacements were erected earlier this year. Sam Pickering, Transgrid's general manager of operations and maintenance, stated that the organization is now better prepared than it was a year ago. "That gas turbine that was unavailable is now fully refurbished and available after extensive works," he said.

The New South Wales government has provided over $2.5 million in financial support, including grants for individuals and small businesses, as well as food and fuel vouchers. The NSW Reconstruction Authority set up a Recovery Assistance Point in Broken Hill and reached out to nearby communities affected by the outages, including Wilcannia, Menindee, and White Cliffs.

In the months following the blackouts, several independent inquiries were launched by the NSW Parliament, the NSW Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART), and the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). One inquiry, led by the Legislative Assembly Committee on Environment and Planning, has already released findings. A key recommendation from this inquiry is that electricity companies that violate their licenses should compensate affected customers. IPART is still assessing whether Transgrid's actions constituted a breach of its license.

Jonathon Coppel, a member of IPART, noted that their investigation has been complex but is progressing well. Meanwhile, the AER is expected to conclude its investigation into whether Transgrid violated the National Electricity Rules in the coming months.

The Bureau of Meteorology reported that the outage was triggered by two supercell thunderstorms, possibly accompanied by a tornado. However, without direct evidence, it remains uncertain if similar weather events could occur in the future. Broken Hill Mayor Tom Kennedy expressed optimism about the ongoing efforts to prevent a repeat of the situation. "Some of the findings and some of the things that will come out of the inquiries will easily transfer to everywhere in the country and make it a lot better for the whole of NSW and the country," he said.