Power and Water Corporation is losing employees because of a very old network.

Employees of the sole provider of electricity in the Northern Territory are quitting their jobs out of fear for their lives. The Electrical Trades Union reported that workers are under pressure to fix a very old network and are concerned for their wellbeing.

Trevor Gauld of the union said, “Guys going to work in these high voltage enclosures, trying to get stuff up to speed, and we have some real concerns about it.” Gauld points at the lack of resources as the cause of yesterday's power outage that affected 6,000 Alice Springs customers.

He added, “We've got issues with resources in network areas the guys that go out and work on the lines, we've got resource issues with the guys that operate the power stations and resource issues with the guys charged with maintaining the power station and some of the supporting infrastructure.”

Power and Water management is 18 months into a five-year $1.5 billion works program which involves replacing, upgrading, and testing equipment. The program includes major projects such as the Weddell Power Station, Owen Springs Power Station, Darwin undergrounding of powerlines, and the East Point rising main and extend outfall.