Power management company Eaton has today announced the launch of its annual Blackout Tracker Report for Australia and New Zealand (ANZ), which has revealed 3 million people were affected by more than 240 power outages in 2016.
While widespread power failures in South Australia had the largest impact on individuals and businesses, New South Wales topped the list of Australian states for the third year in a row with 33 power outages – while the North Island topped New Zealand with 80 power outages.
“Every state or region in ANZ recorded a rise in power outages, highlighting an increasing need for businesses and consumers to look at the power management strategies and disaster recovery plans they have in place to deal with interruptions,” said Gordon Makryllos, Managing Director Australia and New Zealand at Eaton Industries.
The costs associated with power failures has continued to rise for businesses across the globe. The 2016 Cost of Data Centre Outages report by the Ponemon Institute has found the average cost of a datacentre outage in 2015 was $740,357, up 38 per cent from 2010.
While summer heat waves dominated discussion about power supply, it was the spring season that produced the most power outages in both Australia and New Zealand with more than one third occurring between September and November.
“Australia and New Zealand is a diverse, unique climate where almost 1 in 3 power outages is caused by bad weather and trees, so businesses and individuals need to plan for the unexpected. Uninterruptible power systems (UPSs), generators and power management software solutions can help deliver reliable power during outages – reducing the risk of data loss and costs associated with downtime or IT damage.”