A new underground power project starting in the coming weeks will convert the remaining homes in the City of South Perth to underground power.
The project will bring underground power to 2,097 customers in South Perth, Kensington and Waterford, remove 678 poles and 29 kilometres of overhead powerlines and deliver 552 new LED streetlights.
Executive Manager of Asset Operations Zane Christmas said Western Power is working closely with the City of South Perth to deliver the project which will provide improved network resilience and increase community safety.
“Underground power reduces the potential for disruptions during extreme weather events like major storms or bushfire which means fewer unplanned power outages and new LED streetlighting helps make neighbourhoods safer,” he said.
“Underground power also provides greater power supply capacity to support emerging renewables technologies such as electric vehicles through larger cables and additional circuits, helping to deliver on community decarbonisation goals.
“It lowers maintenance costs for local governments by reducing the need for tree pruning around powerlines, allowing tree canopies to flourish and creating more aesthetically pleasing, greener streetscapes.”
South Perth Kensington is the latest project to be delivered under Western Power’s Network Renewal Undergrounding Program Pilot (NRUPP) with project areas identified based on a network driven approach to replace ageing overhead assets with underground power.
It's the seventh of nine undergrounding projects to be constructed under the NRUPP - a pilot designed to assist in the development of a robust underground network strategy.
The cost of undergrounding is shared between Western Power, local governments and property owners.
The project is expected to be completed by mid-2027.