Evoenergy should prioritise putting residents back to where they were before a damaging power surge knocked out thousands of dollars worth of appliances, the Chief Minister and Energy Minister have said.
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Andrew Barr and Shane Rattenbury have jointly written to request Evoenergy exercise discretion and flexibility when it determines compensation payments.
"They think it is not reasonable to expect residents to replace their damaged appliances with new ones without compensation for the full cost of replacement," a spokeswoman for the ACT government said in a statement.
"Evoenergy need to be cognisant of not placing a significant financial burden on residents."
Labor backbencher Marisa Paterson also wrote to Evoenergy on Thursday to call on the utility operator to cover replacement costs incurred by Farrer residents whose appliances were damaged in the January 20 power surge.
"It is clear to me that the extent of the damage and financial impacts have caused a severe burden and negative impact on people's lives and livelihoods," Dr Paterson wrote.
"It is entirely unsatisfactory that it is three months on from the incident, and many residents report that they feel there is no end in sight."
Evoenergy general manager Peter Billing said the company was committed to finalising the compensation payments, which would each be assessed on their merits.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
