Energy grid under threat as bushfires bear down on power lines

Australia's power grid operator warns bushfires could bring down vital transmission lines and raise the likelihood of further blackouts this weekend when fire conditions are forecast to intensify.

Heatwaves and bushfires are imperilling Victoria's power grid.

Just days after fires and winds damaged power lines and forced outages for tens of thousands of households in bushfire-affected towns in the nation's south-east, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) on Friday warned "severe and extreme bushfire conditions" could escalate on Saturday and threaten the grid again.

Read the story from The Age by Nick Toscano and Mike Foley - “Energy grid under threat as bushfires bear down on power lines.”