Forbes' electric vehicle charging stations are in place but waiting on connection due to industrial action, Forbes Shire Council has been advised. Six EV charging stations, including two quick chargers, have been installed in Spring Street but remain fenced off as the council waits for connection to reticulated power to be able to energise them. Director Planning and Growth Mathew Teale told councillors they'd been in a "state of abeyance" for about two-and-a-half months with Essential Energy workers only carrying out emergency works under current industrial action. "We had the contractor come from Cowra, we had the local Essential Energy guys come to the site, everything was good to go and ready to connect up, they made a call to the operations centre in Port Macquarie and the hierarchy there said sorry no, this doesn’t qualify for emergency work, we are standing you down we are not going to allow the connection to be made," he said at the October council meeting. He described the situation as disappointing. "It’s disappointing from our point of view, it’s disappointing from the users’ point of view, it’s also disappointing from the contractor’s point of view - he’s unable to be finalised with his payment until they’re energised, commissioned," Mr Teale said. Mayor Phyllis Miller asked for a briefing so she could raise the issue with Essential Energy.
