Merriwa and Baerami will go into a scheduled blackout on Saturday night as the grid undergoes repairs to account for hundreds of copper thefts in the region over the past year.
Ausgrid, the grid operator, will cut power to Merriwa and Baerami between 10pm on Saturday, June 15, until about 3am the following day as crews from the Upper Hunter do the repairs, affecting about 1600 homes.
The utility said the cuts had been timed to cause the least impact possible to residents.
But the spate of theft and vandalism in the past 12 months has prompted the grid's field manager in the region to denounce wrongdoers for not only endangering their lives, but putting back significant upgrades to the power supply.
"We have seen hundreds of copper thefts in the region over the last 12 months and these not only disrupt power, but are a serious threat to public safety," Adam Regan said.
Ausgrid recently began building the Merriwa microgrid, which was designed to increase the reliability and resilience of the network, but vandalism and theft would further delay the project, he said
"Contact with power lines can kill you," Mr Regan said.
"If you see disconnected wiring, cut cables or fallen power lines, always assume they are live, stay at least eight metres back and call Ausgrid on 13 13 88 so our emergency crews will respond immediately."
Ausgrid has reported all known copper theft incidents to the police. Anyone who may have any information about theft or vandalism is urged to contact Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
