Western Power has adopted a fresh approach to the Eastern Terminal project. The new project will be known as Powering Perth's Communities (PPC), reflecting that this project will deliver benefits to the entire Perth community, including the Hills area.
Phase I of the PPC project involves the direct tie-in of a new 330 kV line at Hacketts Gully to bring an additional 1000 MW of power from generators in the south to the Perth metropolitan area by 2011. The new line, running from Shotts Terminal (near Collie) via Wells Terminal (near Boddington) will connect to existing lines at Hacketts Gully.
Phase I is drawing to a close with the announcement of the chosen tie-in option on 30 January 2009. Western Power will begin consulting with the broader Perth community on Phase II in the coming months.
What is Phase II of the new project?
Western Power would like to announce that Option 1, which involves installing a gantry and extra single pole at the intersection of Mundaring Weir and Bahen Roads in Hacketts Gully, will be used to link a new major power line to the existing grid.
In coming to this decision, Western Power considered the social, environmental, technical and economic issues as well as the recommendations from the Focus Group meeting held in November 2008. The decision is discussed in detail in the 'Powering Perth's Communities Phase I - Outcomes Summary' document (available for download below).
The Focus Group, while not endorsing the project, confirmed that it preferred two possible options for connecting the lines. These were Option 6A and Option 1, with preference for Option 6A. The two options are the same except that an existing tower would be replaced with a similar height pole in Option 6A.
When reviewing the two options comparatively Western Power found that Option 6A had a greater impact with regard to safety, cost, risk to power supplies, risk of traffic interruption during work and land clearing. For these reasons Western Power determined that Option 1 was the preferred tie-in solution.
In addition to the community consultation, Western Power will be submitting Regulatory Test and New Facilities Investment Test (NFIT) applications for determination by the Economic Regulatory Authority (ERA) for this project. These tests consider the technical and economic implications of a number of alternatives to ensure that the most economically efficient alternative is adopted. The applications will be based on the South West 330 kV Bulk Transmission Reinforcement - Discussion Paper and will consider submissions made to Western Power forthcoming from our Invitation for submissions - Proposed 330 kV South West Transmission Reinforcement which was open for industry comment from 17 December 2008 to 9 January 2009.
An environmental and social review of the transmission line routes associated with the two main transmission line route alternatives outlined in this discussion paper has also been undertaken (available for download below).
Subject to Regulatory Test and NFIT approval, the next stage in this project will be the construction of the new transmission line between Wells Terminal and Hacketts Gully which is planned to commence in late 2009, at the southern end, with the tie-in works in Hacketts Gully scheduled to be completed in late 2011.
In addition, Western Power will begin consulting with the wider Perth community on Phase II of the PPC project to examine ways to connect the new line into a new or existing switchyard when required in the future.
Community Focus Group outcomes
Western Power would like to thank all community members and interest groups who attended the PPC Focus Group workshop on 29 November 2008.
A document summarising the workshop, which includes comments and feedback, is currently being prepared. It will be made available, along with interest group presentations as soon as possible.
All information presented and discussed during the November 2008 workshop is now available and can be found in the 'downloads' section on this page.
Community Interest Group presentations
The following Community Interest Groups presented during the November 29 Phase I workshop:
The role of the Community Interest Groups was to make a short presentation to the Focus Group regarding their organisation's values.
Congratulations to the community members who have nominated to participate in Phase I of the Powering Perth's Communities project.
Western Power would like to thank all community members who nominated to participate in Phase I. The PPC team is looking forward to working with the Focus Group to review and evaluate Phase I tie-in options to identify the most sustainable overall option.
For more information about the tie-in options that will be discussed during the Focus Group workshop, download the Options Paper here. (2.5mb - large file)
If you would like to provide comments on the Options Paper, please send them to:
email: ppc@westernpower.com.au
or
PPC Team
GPO Box L921
Perth WA 6842
Photomontages illustrating how each option could look are currently being prepared. These will be made available to download prior to the Focus Group workshop.
As part of the commitment made by Western Power General Manager, Mark de Laeter at a meeting with the Shire of Kalamunda, Western Power has adopted a fresh approach to the Eastern Terminal project.
After a comprehensive internal review, including network planning requirements, a new approach to the project has been defined. The new project will be known as Powering Perth's Communities (PPC), reflecting that this project will deliver benefits to the entire Perth community, including the Hills area.
The 'fresh approach' will include the involvement of the broader community in developing a solution that will allow all of Perth metropolitan area, including Perth Hills, to benefit from a reinforced electricity network in the future.
To ensure sufficient power is available in the network and that the security of the network is not compromised, two critical components of the Powering Perth’s Communities project were identified.
1. A requirement to deliver an additional 1000 MW of power to the network by 2011 via a reconstructed 330kV line from the southwest to Hackett’s Gully in the Perth Hills in conjunction with the development of South Eastern Terminal (near Byford), and
2. The ability to connect this line to a new or existing switchyard by 2017, or possibly earlier.
The security of the electricity network is reliant on the new 330 kV power line connecting to a new or existing switchyard by 2017. Switchyards enable Western Power to connect and isolate powerlines, maximising the security of the network.
This means a more secure power supply for Perth's communities, including our hospitals, schools, businesses and your home.
To meet current electricity demands, a tie-in solution will be sufficient in the short term. However, to meet the future predicted increase in electricity demand, this new line will need to be directly connected into a switchyard.
Western Power is undertaking the Powering Perth's Communities project in two phases.
Each phase will involve working in collaboration with the community to review and evaluate the available options using a sustainability assessment taking into account community values and concerns as well as technical requirements.
Phase I requires the construction of a new 330 kV line to bring an additional 1000 MW of power from generators in the south to the Perth metropolitan area by 2011. 1000 MW of electricity will power one-quarter of Perth's total demand during peak times - such as the hottest summer day!
In the short term this new line can be connected into the existing 330 kV network by a direct 'tie-in', or more simply, a direct connection into the existing lines located in the Hills area. This tie-in, together with the establishment of South Eastern Terminal at Oldbury (within the Shire of Serpentine/ Jarrahdale), would meet the Perth community's predicted power requirements.
A review of network planning requirements has confirmed that construction of this new line must commence in spring 2009 to meet community power demands and maintain network security. This tight time frame limits any further review of the line route. Western Power believes that this line route from Wells Terminal remains the most sustainable option, as it minimises visual impacts and the clearing of native vegetation.
Additionally as the corridor for the new line is within State Forrest it has minimal visual impact and does not directly affect any private property. Western Power recognises, however, that a range of options are available with respect to the nature and location of the tie-in point, this was the focus of the workshops held on 29 November 2008.
During the workshops, community members from the Hills community were presented with possible options for the tie-in and asked to identify and comment on their preference.
Western Power reviewed the outcomes from the workshop and the two preferred tie-in options. Following this detailed analysis Western Power announced that the final tie-in decision would be Option 1.
PPC Phase II reflects Western Power's commitment to the community to review a wide range of options. The objective is to connect the new line into a switchyard (either new or existing), noting however that the Eastern Terminal switchyard proposal is just one of options to be investigated.
According to current electrical load projections, a decision on Phase II is required by 2011-2012. The longer time frame will enable a more comprehensive sustainability assessment process with the ability for broader community involvement to be undertaken in Phase II than in Phase I.
Phase II will commence in early 2009. The first step will involve working with the community to determine a preferred engagement method. Further information on Phase II will be available early in the new year.
The Powering Perth's Communities project represents an opportunity for Western Power to apply a sustainability assessment approach to decision-making to ensure the project achieves the best balance of outcomes for society, the environment, the technical requirements and the most efficient use of funds. In doing so, Western Power looks to involve the community more fully in the process.
Western Power looks forward to working with the community on this project.
For more information please contact ppc@westernpower.com.au or call (08) 9326 4007
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Page update on 30 January 2009
