Strengthening Melbourne’s underground power network

Work has kicked off to strengthen several of Melbourne’s underground electricity pits and ensure they can withstand high traffic in some of the city’s busiest areas.

From October and into early 2024, electricity distributor CitiPower will be conducting maintenance work to five separate pits following its extensive annual inspection program. The pits house the underground electricity network that powers the CBD.

CitiPower head of major projects and maintenance Marcus Olive said the work was critical to ensure the safety and reliability was maintained for the important underground assets.

“From the outside, these pits look small, but under each lid is a large area containing a series of cables and other infrastructure that is powering our city,” Mr Olive said.

“Our crews will take about 48 hours to complete each of the pit works and we will be working closely with businesses and residents to minimise the impact on them as much as possible.”

CitiPower will conduct the work on weekends, mainly during the day, and will reinstate footpaths and road reserves to their original condition once completed. A small amount of work may be required at night in some areas.

“Due to the pit locations and to allow crews to safely complete the work, there may be some minor disruptions to traffic, parking, and public transport but we will not be affecting power supply,” Mr Olive said.

We thank Melburnians for their patience as we conduct this critical work and want to assure them, we are taking steps to minimise any impacts to residents and businesses as much as possible.

Lane closures will affect:

• Flinders Lane – between Russell and Elizabeth streets during October.
• Little Collins St – between Russell and Elizabeth streets during October and early November.

Traffic controllers and signs will be in place to ensure the safety of motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists.

CitiPower has a large underground network of cables and delivers electricity to a 157-square-kilometre region across Melbourne’s CBD and inner suburbs and provides power to more than 348,000 customers.

Electricity is distributed via a network comprising more than 4500 kilometres of wires, supported by more than 57,500 poles and associated infrastructure. CitiPower is the most highly utilised and efficient CBD and urban network in the country. •

For further information on the program, please click here.