Essential Energy employs about 205 people in the Orange electorate, including 39 jobs in Parkes, seven jobs in Peak Hill, 21 jobs in Forbes, 20 jobs in Wellington, 10 jobs in Canowindra, 10 jobs in Molong and 98 jobs in Orange.

It is expected this workforce in the electorate will be halved.

The decision also removed any restriction of forced job cuts from July 1, 2018, allowing an unlimited number of highly-skilled power workers from rural and regional communities across the state to be axed. 

The written decision also revealed that Essential Energy management intends to use outsourcing to carry out further cuts, with the company’s eventual target seeing in one in every two jobs go, allowing the size of their workforce to be halved to 1600 employees by the 2019 financial year.

Electrical Trades Union deputy secretary Dave McKinley said this would be detrimental for Essential Energy employees in the Central West. 

“One in two Essential Energy workers will go, ” Mr McKinley said. 

“We can’t possibly keep all these depots open. 

“Yesterday’s decision means that, within the next two years, up to 1600 highly-skilled power workers who live and work in regional NSW could be without a job.”

Mr McKinley estimates that sites including Canowindra, Blayney and Grenfell will be closed down due to the decision. 

Shooters Fishers and Farmers Party Member for Orange, Philip Donato, said the Liberal-National Government has failed to protect 102 jobs in the Orange electorate. 

“Essential Energy employs 205 people in our electorate, and I'm concerned with what the impact of shedding half their workforce will have on our community,” Mr Donato said.

“For every 13 jobs that are cut, that's $1 million ripped out of our local economy - so that's $8 million from the Orange electorate."