Power and Water sincerely thank the Pirlangimpi community for their patience and support during the recent extended power outage caused by a fire at the power station.

The fire, late on Saturday, 20 September 2025, destroyed the facility, leaving residents without electricity. Our crews arrived on Sunday morning and immediately set to work ensuring all other essential services – including water, sewerage, telecommunications, the clinic and the store – remained connected while we organised an emergency power supply solution.

We flew equipment and more crew to the island on Monday and Tuesday, and transported two large generators to Pirlangimpi by barge. They arrived on Tuesday afternoon, and power was successfully restored to the community later that evening.

Throughout this time, the community demonstrated incredible resilience and cooperation. Residents, the local store, clinic, council and other stakeholders worked closely with our team, while NT Police played an important role in keeping residents informed.

We also acknowledge the valuable assistance provided by several Northern Territory Government agencies, who helped ensure the wellbeing of residents, allowing our crews to focus on restoring electricity as quickly as possible.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved for their collaboration and understanding.

The generators are an interim solution, and planning is already underway for a long-term answer – the construction of a new power station for Pirlangimpi.

^{Images: Top left - generator damaged. Top right - flames through the door. Bottom - One of the 2 generators arriving.}
Media contact: 0401 117 599 / media@powerwater.com.au