• About us

  • Corporate governance
    • The Board
      • Board composition
      • Director Profiles
      • Directors' independence
    • Board committees
      • Finance & Risk Committee
      • People and performance committee
    • Disclosure, reporting and communication with the Minister
    • Risk management
    • External auditor procedures
    • Performance evaluation
    • Codes of conduct
    • ASX Principles compliance checklist
  • How we are regulated
  • Statement of corporate intent
  • Access arrangement
    • Technical Rules
    • Network access prices
      • Archived prices
    • Access Arrangement - 2006/07 to 2008/09
  • Safety and health vision
  • Media updates
    • 2009 media updates
    • 2008 media updates
    • 2007 media updates
  • Reports and publications
    • 2009 annual report
      • 2008 annual report
      • 2007 annual report
      • 2006 annual report
      • 2005 annual report
    • Annual planning report
      • Annual planning report survey
    • Quarterly reports
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    • Plugin brochures
    • 2009 Toodyay fire report
  • Technical guidelines and manuals

• Sustainability

  • Energy efficiency
    • At home
    • At school
    • At work
  • Climate change
    • Greenhouse inventory and reporting
    • Earth Hour 2010
  • Strategic energy initiative
  • Reporting and assurance

• Community

  • Charity and volunteering
  • Community Investment
    • Volunteer bush fire brigades
    • Royal Life Saving Society WA
    • Urban art
    • Scitech discovery centre

• Education

  • Scholarships

• Environment

  • Environmental programs
    • Bird diverters
    • Possum assessment
    • The bat project
    • Flora protection
    • Cleaning up oil spills
    • Environmentally Sensitive Area Program
    • Bushfire management
    • Environmental Management System
    • Vegetation management
  • Environmental partnerships
    • Bibbulmun Track Foundation
    • Carbon Neutral
    • Centre for Phytophthora Science & Management
    • Kalgoorlie-Boulder Urban Landcare Group
    • Yongergnow Australian Malleefowl Centre

Sustainability

Our policy

The consequences of climate change, depletion of non-renewable sources of energy, biodiversity loss and growing inequities in living standards are at the forefront of local and global political debates. Individuals, companies, governments and international bodies are recognising the urgency to respond to these significant challenges.

Until recently Western Australia was experiencing unprecedented levels of economic activity and growth, coupled with a growing population and growing demand in resources, products and services. While WA’s population grew at an average rate of approximately 1.7% between 1996 and 2006, the per capita residential energy consumption increased at an average annual  rate of increase of 2.7%. The total amount of power consumed each year has risen by 5% per annum and is likely to continue into the future.

According to the 2007 State of the Environment Report, Western Australia registered one of the highest per capita rates of resource consumption in the world between 1996 and 2006. These consumption patterns are the drivers of many environmental pressures in the State, including loss of biodiversity, air pollution, impacts on water quantity and quality and the generation of wastes.

The Western Australian energy sector, characterised by a principally carbon intensive base load supply, is also a critical variable in the State’s sustainability equation. As far as the energy sector is concerned, there are a number of sustainability issues that are driving the need for more sustainable solutions in energy generation, transport and supply.

The strategic themes: operational excellence, transform the customer experience, engage with our community and the green edge are key focus areas to progress the business towards a sustainable future. Within the green edge the need for a sustainability framework and capability that supports sustainable strategy, decision-making and reporting, and promotes enterprise carbon reduction was identified. With the adoption of the sustainability policy in September 2008 the Western Power Board declared its commitment to contribute to sustainable development and established a fundamental piece of governance towards sustainable practice.

Our sustainability policy and principles

Western Power will work with its stakeholders including the broader community, to deliver energy solutions for a sustainable future. The Managing Director and Executive Management are accountable to the Board of Directors for the development and implementation of this Sustainability Policy (PDF 69kb).

Doug Aberle
Managing Director

Release date: 26/09/2008
Review date: 01/07/2010

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