Ausgrid network and service information

Ausgrid is responsible for building and maintaining the electricity grid that services a large chunk of central-east New South Wales. On this page, we’ll let you know how to reach Ausgrid to report a problem or a power outage, and explain what Ausgrid does differently to other retailers like Origin Energy or AGL.

Ausgrid contact information

There are several ways to contact Ausgrid, depending on why you’re calling:

• General enquiries: 13 13 65 (9am to 4:30pm weekdays)
• Electrical emergencies/power outages: 13 13 88 (24 hours, 7 days a week)
• Dial before you dig (cable and pipe locations): 1100

If you have trouble hearing, you can always contact the National Relay Service on 13 36 77 (teletypewriter) or 1300 555 727 (speak and listen), and then request Ausgrid's regular contact number, 13 13 65.

Non-urgent enquiries and complaints may also be filed through Ausgrid's online feedback form.

What to do in a power outage

When the power goes out in your house, follow these steps:

1. Is it an emergency? If you see downed wires or fallen poles, call Ausgrid’s emergency line on 13 13 88. If anyone’s injured, call an ambulance on 000.
2. See if it’s been reported. Ausgrid maintains a live power outage tracker on its website. If Ausgrid is already aware of the issue in your area, there’s not much more to do than sit tight. Extra details and expected restoration time may be found by tapping on the alert icon on the tracker map.
3. Report the outage. You can either call up Ausgrid on 13 13 88 or use the “report outages” form on its power outage tracker to inform Ausgrid of the incident. Ausgrid will get it fixed as soon as possible.

For reporting a faulty street light in your area, use Ausgrid's faulty streetlight reporter. If you can't find the streetlight on the map, it's not maintained by Ausgrid and you'll need to contact your local council or the RMS instead.

What is Ausgrid?

Ausgrid is the largest distributor of electricity on Australia's east coast. It maintains, repairs and has built a power network that provides power to 1.8 million residents of New South Wales.

Ausgrid was entirely owned by the state government of NSW until 2016, when a majority stake in it was sold to a partnership of two companies, AustralianSuper and IFM Investors.

How is Ausgrid different to Energy Australia, AGL and other retailers you might see on your power bill?

Ausgrid is an energy distributor, meaning that it deals with the actual poles, wires and cables that make up the electricity grid. Energy Australia, AGL and the other companies on your power bill are energy retailers. They offer energy plans to customers.

Ausgrid sells power to these retailers at wholesale prices. The retailers then resell the power to their customers (you) using rates, tariffs and energy contracts. Energy retailers generally have no hand in electricity production, supply or transmission, and are only the middle men who handle the transactions.

This means that you should only contact Ausgrid about network issues such as power outages. You should direct questions about bills, energy prices and the like to your retailer.

What areas are serviced by Ausgrid?

Ausgrid's network stretches along the central-east coast of New South Wales, going from Sydney up to Nelson Bay and stretching west to the Great Dividing Range. It passes through many major urban areas too, including the Hunter Valley and Newcastle.

Ausgrid is the sole distributor for the regions it operates in. The two distributors that service other parts of NSW are Essential Energy and Endeavour Energy.