Bunbury-Busselton-Margaret River Project Suite

Project status

Current

Project update March 2012

Planning for the Bunbury-Busselton-Margaret River Project Suite has now commenced and we are seeking stakeholder and community input at this early stage in the decision making process. The first series of engagement sessions was held between 27 February and 2 March 2012. These sessions provided an overview of projects proposed within the area. Discussions were held around possible options for each of the projects and the key issues these options may pose.

Western Power will now finalise options for the Dalyellup and Picton-Busselton transmission line projects and seek input into the analysis of these options in May.

Project suite description

Western Power has identified a need to reinforce the electricity network in the South West coastal area from Bunbury to Busselton and on to Margaret River and is developing a 25 year supply strategy to ensure the ongoing provision of a safe, secure and reliable supply of electricity to the area.

At this stage, we are working on developing a set of projects to meet this need which include work at the Busselton Substation, establishing a zone substation in Dalyellup and establishing another 132 000 volt transmission from Picton to Busselton. In the longer term, it is expected that a new transmission line from Busselton to Margaret River will also be required.

The current network

Within the area of the network being considered, Western Power currently has zone substations at Picton, Bunbury Harbour, Westralia Sands, Coolup (although further north, is actually fed from Picton), Capel, Busselton and Margaret River.

Bunbury-Busselton-Margaret River map

Why these projects are required

There are a number of drivers for this suite of projects:

  • much of the network infrastructure is aged and substantial replacement will be required within the planning time horizon
  • the existing transmission system will soon have insufficient capability to supply the demand for electricity due to increasing demand and future growth in the area
  • voltage performance – there is a risk of voltage dropping too low at the Busselton and Margaret River Substations, which will further reduce the capability of the network to meet demand
    As such, Western Power is developing a future supply strategy to map out the future electricity needs of the Bunbury - Busselton - Margaret River area and is seeking community and stakeholder input.

Proposed timeline

See project pages for details on the individual projects within the project suite. An overview of known milestones across the project suite is as follows:

  • Community and stakeholder engagement ‘kick-off’ sessions - last week February 2012
  • Options analysis to select preferred line routes (including community and stakeholder input) for Dalyellup substation transmission line route and Picton to Busselton transmission line route and configuration – May to July 2012
  • Spring surveys to identify rare flora along proposed transmission line routes – spring 2012
  • Required-in-service date for reactive support at Busselton Substation - November 2013
  • Required-in-service date for Dalyellup Substation – November 2016
  • Required-in-service date for Picton-Busselton 132 000 volt line – November 2017

Please note that these dates are indicative only and will be updated as the project progresses.

Approvals

As preferred options are not known given the early stage of the projects, approval requirements are yet to be determined. Environmental approvals are expected to be required for major infrastructure development within this area, given the presence of rare flora, threatened species, including Carnaby’s Cockatoos, and wetlands. Several of these projects are expected to be subject to the Regulatory Test applied by the Economic Regulation Authority.

Further information

The individual projects which make up the Bunbury-Busselton-Margaret River project suite are:

Community and stakeholder engagement

Contact us

If you have any queries or would like to be added to the community contact list for any of these projects, please contact us on:

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