Network vital statistics
- More than 140 substations convert very high voltage electricity to lower voltages suitable for the distribution network.
- More than 721,000 poles which if laid end to end, would stretch from Perth to Sydney and back.
- More than 1300 reclosers restore power automatically when a fault occurs -- for example, from tree branches or bark brushing across the wires.
- The network covers about 322,000 sq km, which is almost one and a half times the size of the state of Victoria.
- About 840,000 properties (homes, offices and factories) are connected to the network.
- More than 150,000 streetlights.
- More than 700 feeders meander through local suburbs and towns, making sure that power is available to properties. A number of suburbs can be ‘fed’ by one feeder, and a number of feeders can ‘feed’ power into one suburb or town. An average of 1,200 properties are connected to a feeder.
- More than 58,000 transformers transform power into a suitable voltage for consumption at your home or a business.
- Transmission lines transmit high-voltage power from various generators (such as power stations and wind farms) to substations. The transmission lines transmit the following voltages:
- 330,000 Volt or 330 kV
- 220,000 Volt or 220 kV
- 132,000 Volt or 132 kV
- 66,000 Volt or 66 kV
- Distribution lines take lower-voltage power from substations and ‘distribute’ it. Distribution lines transmit the following voltages:
- 33,000 Volt or 33 kV
- 22,000 Volt or 22 kV
- 11,000 Volt or 11 kV
- 6,600 Volt or 6.6 kV
- 415 Volt
The day-to-day operation of the power system is managed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Monitoring, switching and dispatch (of generation) is managed by a control centre.
