Dozens of homes are still relying on generator power after a massive fault shut down the electricity network around Lennox Head and Skennars Head early on Sunday afternoon.

More than 1,200 homes and businesses initially lost electricity, but Essential Energy says the scale of the blackout was partly due to the network’s safety systems.

According to the energy company, a fault occurred about 1.15pm on Sunday, triggering the network to automatically switch off power across a wider area to protect infrastructure and safeguard the community.

That left homes and businesses across Lennox Head, Skennars Head and surrounding areas without electricity while crews began the difficult task of finding where the fault had occurred.

The outage prompted some concern among residents about whether it was an early warning of a long summer of power problems ahead.

But Essential Energy says the blackout was not caused by load shedding or pressure on electricity supplies.

Instead, it came down to something more mundane, and difficult to find: a fault in the local electricity network.

Crews spent Sunday afternoon and much of the night searching for the problem, initially carrying out an extensive patrol of the overhead network without success.

They continued working until 3am Monday, progressively ruling out sections of the network and restoring power to about 1,150 customers.

That left 54 properties without normal supply.

By 10am Monday, Essential Energy had brought in a generator to supply those customers while crews turned their attention underground.

Specialised equipment was used to test sections of the underground network, including infrastructure passing through privately owned land and residential backyards.

Essential Energy has now pinpointed the fault to part of the underground electricity network on privately owned land in Henderson Drive, Skennars Head.

Living by torchlight- Tom Berry shared this photo to Facebook on Sunday night as hundreds remained blacked out.

Main photo: Essential Energy’s outage page, pinpointing the location of the still unresolved fault.

The company is working with the landowner to access the site, with permanent repairs scheduled for tomorow.

The generator will remain in place until the work is finished, with Essential Energy expecting permanent repairs to be completed by about 5pm Tuesday.

Customers have been warned they may experience further interruptions while the work is carried out.

The original fault also damaged other parts of the electricity network, which crews have since repaired.

For some residents, the lengthy outage provided a reminder of the value of having a backup.

Skennars Head resident Tom Berry summed it up on Facebook on Sunday evening.

“Thank Christ we have gas to cook,” he wrote.

“Was considering getting rid of the generator. Not now.”

Essential Energy thanked customers for their patience while crews complete the permanent repairs.