Update as city hit by major power outage
Power has been restored to the majority of Sydney’s CBD after a blackout hit commuters and workers.
The outage was first reported shortly before 5am on Thursday morning in Barangaroo, Wynyard and Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD.
Energy distributer Ausgrid confirmed the outage was caused by a water main burst and flooded an underground substation.
They have since confirmed 850 customers have had their power restored.
However, about 100 customers near Martin Place will likely not have restored power for most of the day as crews assess and repair damage to the substation.
At least 950 customers were impacted by the blackout on Thursday morning, with many more affected as traffic lights in the areas are knocked out.
Office workers were seen working from nearby cafes as they waited for power to be resorted to office buildings.
The blackout comes after NSW Premier Chris Minns advised the public and businesses to scale back their electricity use in an effort to reduce the strain on the power supply as the ongoing heatwave continues to grip the eastern part of the state.
Much like the first-half of the week, Sydney residents can expect a hot day with a maximum temperature of 34 in Penrith and 31 in the eastern suburbs.
The Bureau of Meterology has warned of severe thunderstorms storms impacting Sydney on Thursday, with signigficant flash floding risks for the metro area.
“The key hazard is we could see a lot of rain falling in a short space of time,” said Senior Meteorologist Miriam Bradbury.
“It’s this kind of rainfall that could overwhelm our drainage systems, leading to dangerous driving or travel conditions, with water over roads and access routes.”