A CONCERNED resident has raised the alarm after five mature Australian native trees, estimated to be between 70 to 80 years old, were recently cut down in Red Hill South by a power company. Ron Slocombe was shocked to find the towering Angophora trees (also known as salmon gums) felled along a road reserve on Thomas Rd in August without community consultation. “They are hardy resilient trees not known for dropping limbs or causing hazards,” he said. “Mornington Peninsula Shire council has tagged a number of these trees as specimens of significance, in a grove that extends along the lower…
Browsing: United Energy
HELICOPTERS are scanning powerlines across the Mornington Peninsula over the next fortnight, as part of United Energy’s year-round bushfire mitigation and vegetation management program.People may see and hear the choppers, which fly about 300 metres above the ground and use technology known as Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to scan the distance between tree branches and powerlines. Using the LiDAR data, United Energy teams create 3D models of powerlines and their surroundings, helping to inform what vegetation needs to be cut.United Energy’s Head of Vegetation Management, Ayce Cordy, said it was important that accurate measurements were taken of all vegetation…
POWERLINES in high fire danger areas on the Mornington Peninsula could be placed underground as part of a package of new “resilience measures” being tested and considered by electricity distributor United Energy. The distributor is looking at how it can make its network in Melbourne’s south-east and the peninsula stronger and more resilient in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events.United Energy representatives last week met with community members in Red Hill to hear their views on the proposals and road test a range of scenarios as part of a five-year business plan, with a draft to be submitted…
UNITED Energy could face claims of hundreds of thousands of dollars following a massive power surge from a Mornington electricity substation on Wednesday morning. Up to 10,000 properties in Mornington, Mt Martha, Moorooduc and Somerville received 300 volts, 20 per cent more than normal, surging through power lines at about 9am. The CFA said there had been more than 55 calls for assistance, mostly generated by householders smelling smoke from electrical appliances and smouldering wiring. The CFA set up an emergency response team at its Moorooduc incident control centre to take calls from 000 and coordinate its response. Calls were…