"There are other issues related to connecting power to the...

"There are other issues related to connecting power to the nodes. At present, fibre doesn't require extra power to connect from the exchange to people's houses - signals can travel many kilometres without the signal degrading or needing amplification. However, nodes need to be powered and installed with multiple backup batteries. One contractor told us that 65,000 nodes may be needed and that powering them would represent an "environmental disaster". Indeed, Rod Tucker, at the University of Melbourne, has said that this would require the construction of two-to-three new power stations. These would come with a substantial cost of construction and also running costs."

http://www.abc.net.au/technology/articles/2012/11/16/3634499.htm

Strangely I applied for a job in the NBN CAN only yesterday.