Emergency fuel airlift for flooded remote community

26 Feb 2009

Power and Water Corporation will airlift 41,000 litres of emergency fuel supplies into the flooded Alpurrurulam Community over the next three days (from 27 February) to keep the power station running for at least the next month.

Remote Operations General Manager, Darryl Day said, 'Two, Dornier 228 aircraft have been stripped out to carry fuel drums and will make at least 12 trips into the area from the nearest take-off point of Mt Isa, Queensland, weather permitting.

‘Power and Water staff on the ground at both Mt Isa and Alpurrurulam will supervise the loading and unloading and environmental management of the payload.

‘Alpurrurulam community’s road access has been intermittently cut since 20 January due to heavy rainfall in the Barkly Shire region and two weeks ago, we had to fly staff in to repair flooded sewerage pumps. The road was washed away and they had to walk in with their equipment.’

While reserve fuel supplies have been used to keep the power station operational until now for the population of about 500, and an awareness campaign run to reduce energy consumption, its estimated there’ll be no safe access for heavy vehicles for at least six to eight weeks.

Power and Water will assess the need for a second airlift if the road remains impassable for a further extended period.

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