New name for a new project
Release Date: 09 October 2008
As promised by Western Power, a fresh approach is being adopted to the Eastern Terminal project. Western Power’s Senior Project Manager, Mr Ian Buchanan said that to reflect the new approach we needed a new name.
“The project will now be referred to as the Powering Perth’s Communities project, reflecting that it will deliver benefits to the whole Perth community and that an Eastern Terminal switchyard in the hills area is not necessarily part of the solution.”
“Since the announcement of a fresh start in August we have determined that the project can be undertaken in two phases while still ensuring that demand for power is met and the security of the network is maintained.”
The first phase will involve identifying a connection point for the new 330 kV transmission line from Wells Terminal, near Boddington, previously described as a ‘gantry’ solution, with the second phase involving the development of a community consultation model for connecting this line into a new or existing switchyard in the longer term.
An internal review has confirmed that the first phase, which will connect an additional 1000 MW of power into the existing network, is required by the summer of 2011/12. In the short term, this can be achieved by a direct tie-in from Wells Terminal.
“A decision on how and where to construct this tie-in will need to be made by the end of this year.”
“We will be communicating with the community very soon to start the ball rolling on this phase of the project, and I am excited about the opportunities for collaboration.”
“What we need to recognise here is that there are no easy answers and how we achieve the connection will ultimately depend upon value judgements.”
“What is more important - visual impact or environmental considerations and land clearing issues? These are the problems and questions faced by Western Power when trying to find the best options for its infrastructure.”
“We now need to make a decision that appropriately reflects community values whilst still meeting the requirement to safeguard the electricity network.”
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