More than 1500 homes across several inner-city Newcastle suburbs were plunged into darkness on Thursday evening, with authorities blaming suspected copper theft for the widespread blackout.
Widespread Outage Hits Inner Suburbs
The power failure struck at approximately 7:20pm on Thursday, January 8, 2026, affecting residents in Hamilton South, The Junction, and parts of Cooks Hill and Merewether. Ausgrid crews worked through the night to gradually restore electricity, but the situation remained dire for some.
By just before 10pm, around 120 properties on the western side of Darby Street and sections of Parry Street were still without power. Ausgrid initially estimated that all customers would have their supply restored by mid-morning on Friday, January 9.
Damage Consistent with Metal Theft
An Ausgrid spokeswoman confirmed to the Newcastle Herald that investigation crews discovered significant damage to the network's 11 kilovolt lines at Cooks Hill. The damage was identified as being consistent with copper theft, a criminal act that targets valuable electrical infrastructure.
The incident has been formally reported to the police, who will likely investigate the deliberate sabotage of essential services. Copper theft from electrical substations and railways is an ongoing issue, posing severe safety risks and causing major community disruption.
Blackout Compounds Looming Heatwave Threat
The timing of the outage is particularly concerning, as the network prepares for a severe heatwave forecast to hit the Hunter region. The Bureau of Meteorology has warned residents to expect temperatures soaring into the high-30s and above 40 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
Matthew Sweeting, Ausgrid's chief safety officer, urged the community to prepare for potential heat-related outages. "Where we see consecutive days of extreme heat, this can put added pressure on the grid and so the risk of an unplanned outage can increase," Mr Sweeting said.
He advised residents to take proactive steps, including storing water in freezers and learning manual overrides for electric garage doors, gates, and water pumps. "The best time to get ready is now," he emphasised.
In response to the weather warnings, Ausgrid has postponed some non-essential work across Sydney and the Hunter. Planned works for Saturday are under review and will be reassessed on Friday based on the forecast conditions.
"During these periods of extreme weather, the safety of our customers and employees remains our priority," Mr Sweeting stated. "Ausgrid has emergency crews on standby ready to respond to any power outages that occur across the network."
The public is reminded to stay safe by avoiding any fallen power lines and to report hazards directly to Ausgrid online or by calling 13 13 88.
