SA says weather, not govt, caused blackout

More South Australians blame bad weather for the blackout that recently plunged them into darkness than the state government, a new poll shows.

An Advertiser-Galaxy poll of 567 people has found 34 per cent believe the storm was mostly at fault, while 26 per cent blame the Weatherill government.

A smaller six per cent thought Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was most to blame, as the federal government is responsible for the national power grid.

Most respondents, 73 per cent, agreed the best way to prevent more blackouts in the state would be to spend more on improving its transmission infrastructure.

And 16 per cent of respondents thought the best solution would be to reduce the amount of renewable energy used in the state in favour of coal and gas power.

The survey was conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, around when the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) released its preliminary report on the blackout.

The report said power was lost on September 28 when SA's main interconnector with Victoria overloaded as ferocious winds tore down 23 transmission towers in the state's mid-north.

The loss of three major transmission lines and 315 MW of wind generated power increased demand on the interconnector and overloaded it.

It then shut down to protect itself from damage, cutting all of the state's power, which returned to Adelaide within hours but took longer in some regional areas.

The AEMO report said it is not yet clear whether SA's power systems were working as they should have been at the time.

The operator will release another update on October 19 and could spent up to six months preparing its final report and recommendations on the incident.

The blackout has also led the nation's energy ministers to commission an independent review of Australia's energy security, led by Chief Scientist Alan Finkel.