Power Resilience Symposium:

Bringing networks together for a stronger NSW

On 31 January 2023, the Connectivity Innovation Network (CIN) convened key players across the telecommunications, energy, and emergency response sectors for the Power Resilience Symposium at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS).

The symposium brought together representatives from Endeavour Energy, Ausgrid, Telstra, Optus, BAI Communications, Fire and Rescue NSW, NSW Telco Authority, and leading researchers from UTS, the University of Sydney, and Polarium AB. Together, they tackled one of the most pressing challenges in the state: how to ensure robust, uninterrupted connectivity during disasters.

Discussions highlighted the growing need for shared standards, improved visibility, and stronger collaboration between infrastructure providers and emergency services. Key issues raised included the lack of shared terminology around ‘resilience’, limited access to outage data across networks, and differing site priority frameworks between telcos, power companies, and first responders.

Breakout groups identified several priority areas for future work:

  • Improved information sharing on network outages, worker locations, and site classifications;

  • Standardised terminology and protocols to unify responses across sectors;

  • Predictive and real-time capabilities for monitoring network status and coordinating recovery;

  • A shared spatial mapping platform showing network topologies and site criticality;

  • Greater transparency and access to smart meter data to enable proactive response planning.

 

The symposium concluded with three clear focus areas to guide CIN’s next phase of work:

  1. Development of a data catalogue to support planning and business case development;

  2. A mechanism for sharing planned and unplanned outage data between networks;

  3. A deeper understanding of resilience at the site level, which can be scaled to inform network-wide assessments across all stages of the infrastructure lifecycle—from planning and construction to emergency restoration.

     

Outcomes from the symposium will shape CIN’s upcoming call for proposals and future collaborations. CIN thanks all participants for their contributions and leadership, particularly our speakers from industry, government, and academia, who made the day both productive and impactful.

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