- Comprehensive work undertaken to improve power reliability in the Peel region
- Upgrade to Mandurah substation complete
Energy Minister Bill Johnston today announced Western Power had fast-tracked significant enhancements to the network in the Peel region ahead of summer to boost reliability.
Twelve programs of work – including a fast-tracked upgrade to the Mandurah substation – had been expedited, with the aim of improving reliability for homes and businesses in the region.
The work includes a new high voltage circuit (feeder), additional interconnections, and six new automated switchgears to assist with reconfiguring the network as required to speed up power restoration. These upgrades will significantly improve network reliability – by mitigating feeder issues due to overuse – and create greater capacity for forecasted future customer demand on the network.
The new high voltage circuit, interconnections, and automated switchgear will also ensure there is more flexibility between circuits and improved switching capabilities, allowing Western Power’s network control team to isolate faults and re-route electricity when it is safe to do so.
Network switching is the process of moving electricity from one circuit to another – essentially re-routing the flow of energy similar to traffic management re-directing vehicles onto an alternate route if a road is congested.
If faults occur, these works will help reduce response times and assist in getting homes and businesses re-connected more quickly.
As stated by Energy Minister Bill Johnston:
“No electricity network in the world can guarantee 100 percent reliability as faults occur as part of normal operations.
“Following last summer’s heatwave – and in line with recommendations from the independent review into the Christmas power outages – Western Power has worked hard to mitigate risks, and accelerated works prior to this summer season.
“With ongoing climate change, it’s imperative our essential infrastructure can withstand extreme weather events, and Western Power is working to ensure Western Australians continue to have safe, affordable, and reliable power – now and in the future.”
As stated by Mandurah MLA David Templeman:
“This investment by the McGowan Government will improve power reliability for the residents and businesses of Mandurah over the summer.
“These fast-tracked works highlight the Government’s commitment to the Peel region and to ensuring improved response times when faults do occur.”
As stated by Dawesville MLA Lisa Munday:
“These works show that the McGowan Government has again responded to the needs of residents and businesses in the electorate of Dawesville.
“While no electricity system is immune to faults and outages, these critical, fast-tracked works by Western Power will shore up the reliability of the local network.”
