Is the power out in Newcastle? Check the live map below for outages near you and report your own. Newcastle is on the Ausgrid network, so call 13 13 88 in a blackout, not your retailer. If a powerline is down, call 000 first.
Newcastle and the wider Hunter are part of the Ausgrid network. Coastal storms and the salt air off the Pacific are common triggers for faults across the region.
Live now
This live map shows current power outages reported in and around Newcastle. Enter your address to recentre it on your street, see whether an outage has been reported nearby, and report your own so neighbours are warned. For a fallen line or danger to life, call 000 first.
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No active power outages are currently reported by users. If your power is out, use the address check above to report it.
Add to the map
Reporting is anonymous, appears straight away on the map above, and helps others in your area. It does not replace calling your distributor faults line, which is what gets a crew dispatched and protects any compensation you may be owed.
Thanks, your report has been submitted and will help others in your area.
Reports are submitted anonymously and let other users know about power outages in progress. For a fallen line or danger to life, call 000 first.
If you see a fallen powerline, sparking, fire or anyone in danger in Newcastle, call Triple Zero (000) immediately and stay at least 8 metres clear, treating every line as live. Then report the network fault to Ausgrid on 13 13 88.
Local context
The most common causes of outages across New South Wales and the Ausgrid network.
On the hottest Sydney afternoons, hundreds of thousands of air conditioners switch on at once. The surge can overload local transformers and trip the network, which is why outages cluster on extreme-heat days.
Summer storms and east-coast lows bring lightning, flash flooding and damaging wind gusts that bring down lines and branches across the coast and ranges.
In the Blue Mountains and regional NSW, fire risk can force the network to de-energise lines for safety, and fire damage itself takes lines out for longer repairs.
Essential Energy maintains lines across about 95% of the state by area, where long single-wire feeders through bush and farmland are more exposed to trees, wildlife and weather.
In a blackout
Five steps, in order, from checking for danger to protecting your fridge.
If a powerline is down, or there is fire, smoke or sparks, call 000 straight away and stay at least 8 metres clear of any fallen line.
Check whether your neighbours and the streetlights still have power. If they do, check your switchboard for a tripped safety switch and reset it once.
Use the live map above to see if an outage is already reported nearby. If not, call Ausgrid on 13 13 88, not your retailer, and report it once.
Keep both doors shut. A closed fridge stays cold for about four hours and a full freezer for roughly a day. Do not refreeze food that has fully thawed.
Turn off and unplug sensitive appliances. When power returns it can come back with a surge that damages anything left on.
Save the Ausgrid faults number in your phone now, and keep a torch and charged power bank handy. If anyone relies on life support, register with your retailer.
Money back
Ausgrid pays an automatic Guaranteed Service Level (GSL) credit when your interruptions pass a threshold in a financial year, for example around 20 total hours off supply or 10 separate interruptions.
The payment usually lands as an automatic credit on your next bill, passed through your retailer, with no claim to lodge. Read our guide to power outage compensation for the thresholds and how to check yours.
Nearby
Common questions
Newcastle is on the Ausgrid network, so call its 24/7 faults line on 13 13 88, not your retailer. The retailer bills you but cannot dispatch a crew. If a powerline is down or anyone is in danger, call Triple Zero (000) first.
Use the live map above: type your Newcastle address and it recentres on your street and shows whether anyone nearby has reported an outage. Ausgrid also runs its own outage map showing confirmed network faults and estimated restoration times at ausgrid.com.au.
The Ausgrid faults and outage number is 13 13 88, staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It is the same number whether the Newcastle outage is planned or unplanned.
If your neighbour has power, the fault is probably inside your own property, most often a tripped safety switch in your switchboard. Reset it once; if it trips again, unplug appliances and call a licensed electrician. If your whole street is dark, it is a Ausgrid network outage to report on 13 13 88.
Ausgrid pays an automatic Guaranteed Service Level (GSL) credit when your interruptions pass a threshold in a financial year, for example around 20 total hours off supply or 10 separate interruptions. The credit usually appears on your next bill through your retailer, with no claim needed. See our power outage compensation guide for the detail.
Network charges are fixed by your distributor, but they are only part of your bill. The retailer's energy and supply charges are the part you control. Compare retailers that supply your address to find a cheaper plan.
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