About us

Who we are

Western Power is a State Government owned corporation that builds, maintains and operates the electricity network in the south west corner of Western Australia. The Western Power Network forms the vast majority of the South West Interconnected Network (SWIN), which together with all of the electricity generators, comprises the South West Interconnected System (SWIS). We ensure the SWIS delivers a safe, secure and reliable electricity supply to just over one million connected customers including homes, businesses, factories, mines, schools, hospitals and public transport providers.

 

We do not generate electricity (like Verve Energy for example), retail electricity (like Synergy for example) or operate in non-SWIS areas of Western Australia (Horizon Power).

Western Power is governed by an independent Board and reports to the Minister for Energy as the owner’s representative.

We operate depots and offices throughout the SWIS region including our head office in Wellington Street, Perth.

Our purpose

Western Power’s purpose is connecting people with energy.

Our vision

Western Power is recognised as a world-class, commercial electricity network and system management business.

Our values

Western Power works hard to create a constructive culture that drives the delivery of our services to the communities in which we operate. Our values underpin everything we do and are the principles that guide the way we work, enabling us to achieve our goals.

Put safety first
In everything we do, we are committed to putting safety first.

Respect our customers
We stay connected to our customers to achieve the best energy solutions.

Work together
We work collaboratively to achieve consistent results that are in Western Power’s and the customers’ collective interests.

Make a positive difference
We are focused on being innovative and creative when adding value to customers and accept accountability for delivering results.

Earn trust
We work to earn the trust of others and deliver on commitments.

Act like it’s our own business
Western Power is our business and our actions will always reflect this.

Our network

The SWIN covers a very large area of 261,000 square kilometres. Unlike all other major urban areas of Australia which are covered by a series of interconnected networks known as the National Electricity Market (NEM), the SWIN is an isolated, self-contained network. This means that the electricity needs of consumers within the SWIS must at all times be delivered by the SWIS itself without any outside support or back up.

Our place in the electricity supply chain

Even though the price paid by electricity consumers has risen significantly since 2009, this price is still well below the cost of supply. The full cost to supply electricity to consumers within the SWIS is made up of a number of different elements including generation, transmission, distribution and retail. Consumers pay only a proportion of this cost with the balance provided as a subsidy by the State Government.

Our customers and stakeholders

In order to service the different needs of a large variety of customers more effectively, Western Power manages our customer base in seven major segments:

  • Residential customers – 913,010*
  • Business customers – 86,259*
  • Major customers – 19,006*
  • Land developers and designers
  • Contractors
  • Local Governments
  • Generators (46* generators such as Verve Energy) and Retailers (11 retailers) including Alinta, Perth Energy and Synergy.

*The number of premises connected to the SWIS including homes and business - derived from our Network Customer Information System (NetCIS) - July 2011

In addition to these customer segments, we work closely with a range of major stakeholders including the:

  • Minister for Energy
  • Economic Regulation Authority (ERA)
  • Independent Market Operator (IMO)
  • EnergySafety
  • relevant State Government agencies – the Office of Energy, and the Departments of Treasury & Finance, State Development and the Premier & Cabinet. 

Our regulatory environment

As the only electricity transmission and distribution utility within our region, Western Power is a natural monopoly. In place of competition to bring about economic efficiency, the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA) oversees our economic performance. The basis for this oversight is the Access Arrangement which is our regulatory contract agreed with the ERA for a given period.

Our leadership team

Western Power's Executive Team is responsible for managing the business and driving our strategic direction while ensuring we maintain our focus on safety, customer service and commerciality.

Our strategic direction

Transform the Core is Western Power’s strategic direction for the period 2010 to 2013.

It sharpens our focus on areas in which we need to improve to deliver on customer expectations, while allowing us to keep an eye on future developments, ensuring we are well placed to capitalise on them. It also recognises the need for us to provide a clear focus on how to improve performance for everyone within the business.

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