Corridor selection process

Following a thorough investigation and consultation process, Western Power has identified a preferred 1km wide corridor for the proposed Eneabba to Moonyoonooka 330 kV transmission line project.

The preferred corridor (PDF 4mb - Large file) is known as 'Option 10' and is a combination of the pink and gold routes.

The preferred corridor was selected through an independent sustainability assessment that involved the weighting and scoring of the social, economic, environmental and technical issues that have been identified and refined throughout the consultation process.

Western Power has commenced contacting affected landowners and will soon distribute information to the broader community. A series of Information Sessions will be held in early August to provide more detailed information and specialist advice to affected landowners.

The information below explains each stage of the process.  

Project phases

• Phase 1: Collection and review of environmental, social, technical and economic information – November 2006. Completed.
  Western Power and SKM collected data regarding the locations of important sites and the issues within the ‘area of interest’ using publicly available sources such as Department of Agriculture and Department of Land Information data sets. The team also consulted service providers about the separation distances needed between a transmission line and local infrastructure such as gas, water and telecommunications facilities.
  In addition, draft sustainability principles were created at this early stage of the process to drive the entire project.
• Phase 2: Initial stakeholder workshops – December 2006. Completed.
  Initial stakeholder workshops were held with Local and State government agencies and local representative groups with an interest in a range of social, economic, technical and environmental considerations in the Mid West. These stakeholders were asked to tell us about the sensitivity of known land uses and to identify areas of significance. More information
• Phase 3: Geographic Information Systems analysis – December 2006 to January 2007. Completed.
  A map of the constraints in the area was created using a Geographical Information System (GIS) which is a computer based mapping tool. The GIS model then processed the information provided by stakeholders in Phase 2 to determine which areas were acceptable to accommodate a transmission line.
  The overall constraints map (GIF 1mb) was developed based on a wide range of considerations from phase one and two.
• Phase 4: Define corridor options – January to February 2007. Completed.
  Using the information from the GIS analysis, a number of broad (1km wide) corridor options were selected to enable community discussion of any potential issues.
  Three main corridors (JPG 497kb) were identified, along with some deviations, through areas which appeared to be less constrained by the social, economic, technical and environmental issues identified at Phases 2 and 3, but which also took into account the proximity of existing and proposed loads and generators.
  
• Phase 5: Community workshops – February to March 2007. Completed. At these workshops participants were asked to map constraints and opportunities on a series of corridor options. Western Power is now considering this feedback and refining the corridor options as a result of the community's input. 
• Phase 6: Sustainability assessment – March to April 2007. To be completed.
  Community input has been analysed and each corridor option has been assessed against the sustainability principles. Option 10 (PDF 4mb - Large file) performed best overall in the sustainability assessment, which considered the social, economic, environmental and technical principles identified throughout the consultation process. View Three main corridor options (JPG 497kb).
• Phase 7: Define line route – May to June 2007. To be completed.
  Western Power will investigate a line route within the preferred corridor and liaise closely with landowners to identify the best possible line route along the corridor. Information about the selected corridor will also be provided to those who expressed an interest in being on the project mailing list, including workshop attendees. General announcements will also be made to the Mid West community. 
• Phase 8: Environmental approvals – June 2007 onwards. To be completed.
  Western Power will begin the environmental approvals process for the chosen transmission line route. The project will be referred to the Environmental Protection Authority under Section 38 of the Environmental Protection Act 1986.
  In addition, Western Power will be seeking other types of approval for the transmission line including:
  • Aboriginal heritage clearance under the Aboriginal Heritage Act 1972
  • Economic Regulatory Authority approval under the Economic Regulation Authority Act 2003