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Victorian Energy Policy Centre Bruce Mountain says gas generation as a backup energy source is “essential”.

Parts of regional Victoria and Melbourne on Tuesday copped severe weather which brought down power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands of Victorians without power.

Around 500,000 households have been affected by the power outages after severe storms flattened transmission towers in Anakie, just north of Geelong.

Victorian Emergency Management Commissioner Rick Nugent warned it could potentially take up to a week for some houses and businesses to get their power back.

Mr Mountain told Sky News host Chris Kenny that he doesn’t see any prospect of gas generation’s importance “decreasing, nor reason to decrease for the foreseeable future”.