Installation of two new feeders and reinforcement works on Byford substation have now been completed.
The works are part of Western Power’s investment of $10.4 million to upgrade the electricity grid following unprecedented load conditions during the Christmas 2021 heatwave.
The upgrades at Byford aimed at better managing capacity overloads, include the installation of two new feeders and interconnectors, and a new cable to provide additional switching and offload capability within the network.
Western Power Executive Manager Asset Operations Zane Christmas said Western Power had worked collaboratively with Main Roads WA who are currently conducting major works in the same area.
Community consultation was undertaken with residents impacted during construction works.
“The work is aimed at improving reliability for homes and businesses to enable better network management during consecutive extreme hot weather days, as well as providing capacity for future connections in this growing part of the metropolitan area,” Mr Christmas said.
“While we cannot guarantee 100 per cent reliability, we’re doing everything we can to improve network resilience to minimise the duration and number of unplanned outages.
“As the Bureau of Meteorology has forecasted this summer to be as hot or hotter than last year, we’re doing what we can to strengthen the network well ahead of time.”