❓ The Minister for Energy provides an update on the Targeted Underground Power Program (TUPP), highlighting its benefits, increased capacity, and tiered funding approach based on socio-economic indicators. The program aims to improve electricity reliability and accessibility across WA.
AnsweredQoN 375Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
ELECTRICITY — UNDERGROUND POWER
375. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to this Labor government's
commitment to providing a safe, reliable and affordable electricity system.
(1) Can the minister update the house on this
government's work to make underground power more accessible and
equitable for households across the state?
(2) Can the minister outline what
these important upgrades will mean for thousands of Western Australians?
375. Ms E.L. HAMILTON to the Minister for Energy:
I refer to this Labor government's
commitment to providing a safe, reliable and affordable electricity system.
(1) Can the minister update the house on this
government's work to make underground power more accessible and
equitable for households across the state?
(2) Can the minister outline what
these important upgrades will mean for thousands of Western Australians?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) I
appreciate the question. I know of the member's deep commitment to
improving the situation for her constituents in respect of street lighting and
other issues in the electricity area.
We know that undergrounding offers
many benefits to the community. It is safer and more reliable and costs less to
maintain, although, as the member for Cottesloe can tell us, when there is an
outage, it takes longer to repair. It also helps the networks become more
resilient to climate change and extreme weather events. Since the state underground power program began in 1996, over
100 000 properties have transitioned to
underground power. We are the only state that has a structured process to
underground existing suburbs . In
November last year, I announced that the existing underground power projects
would be replaced by the targeted underground power program, the TUPP.
This program is being led by the network and supersedes the pre-existing state
underground power program. It has certain improvements. It targets projects to
the oldest areas of the network where the aboveground infrastructure is in most
need of replacement. That not only maximises the reliability benefit for the
underground projects, but also increases the contribution Western Power can
make to the projects. It means that there will be an increase in the capacity
of Western Power to underground from an average of 4 000 properties a year to
about 12 000 properties a year.
We have also reformed the state
government contribution to fund underground power projects. The state government will offer funding on a tiered basis,
informed by socio-economic indicators. That is to say that the state
government will be making the largest contribution to the areas that are in
most financial need.
I was pleased to make a further
announcement recently regarding the targeted underground power project. Western
Power secured agreement from nine local governments to participate in the TUPP—Bayswater, Canning, Melville, Rockingham, Stirling, Swan,
Vincent, Bassendean and Victoria Park. The project areas in these LGAs
have been identified based on the network need. The MOUs to formalise the
intent of Western Power in each of the local governments and the state
government are currently being developed. Scoping and planning works for some
of these projects have begun, with the construction of the first project in
Bassendean north set to begin in May next year. This is a significant
improvement to the way the state underground power project works.
One
of the first things that occurred when I became minister in 2018 was a mayor
came to see me to complain about the contribution that was required from the
local residents for that particular underground power project. Of course, the
level had been set by the local government's bid to the former Liberal
government. The point was that the new mayor came in to complain about what the
previous mayor had proposed and had been agreed to by the former Liberal
government. That was one of the problems. Because it was based on the interests
of local government to make a contribution to the cost, it was pushing up the
cost to residents. This new approach means
that we can target support to people with the lowest means so that the lowest
cost would be for people without means and only a reasonable contribution is
asked from people with more resources. Because it has been driven by the needs
of the network, we can do more. It is a much better outcome and it will allow
for more rapid completion of the transition from overhead to underground in the
metropolitan area.
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the Leader of the Opposition with the last question.
appreciate the question. I know of the member's deep commitment to
improving the situation for her constituents in respect of street lighting and
other issues in the electricity area.
We know that undergrounding offers
many benefits to the community. It is safer and more reliable and costs less to
maintain, although, as the member for Cottesloe can tell us, when there is an
outage, it takes longer to repair. It also helps the networks become more
resilient to climate change and extreme weather events. Since the state underground power program began in 1996, over
100 000 properties have transitioned to
underground power. We are the only state that has a structured process to
underground existing suburbs . In
November last year, I announced that the existing underground power projects
would be replaced by the targeted underground power program, the TUPP.
This program is being led by the network and supersedes the pre-existing state
underground power program. It has certain improvements. It targets projects to
the oldest areas of the network where the aboveground infrastructure is in most
need of replacement. That not only maximises the reliability benefit for the
underground projects, but also increases the contribution Western Power can
make to the projects. It means that there will be an increase in the capacity
of Western Power to underground from an average of 4 000 properties a year to
about 12 000 properties a year.
We have also reformed the state
government contribution to fund underground power projects. The state government will offer funding on a tiered basis,
informed by socio-economic indicators. That is to say that the state
government will be making the largest contribution to the areas that are in
most financial need.
I was pleased to make a further
announcement recently regarding the targeted underground power project. Western
Power secured agreement from nine local governments to participate in the TUPP—Bayswater, Canning, Melville, Rockingham, Stirling, Swan,
Vincent, Bassendean and Victoria Park. The project areas in these LGAs
have been identified based on the network need. The MOUs to formalise the
intent of Western Power in each of the local governments and the state
government are currently being developed. Scoping and planning works for some
of these projects have begun, with the construction of the first project in
Bassendean north set to begin in May next year. This is a significant
improvement to the way the state underground power project works.
One
of the first things that occurred when I became minister in 2018 was a mayor
came to see me to complain about the contribution that was required from the
local residents for that particular underground power project. Of course, the
level had been set by the local government's bid to the former Liberal
government. The point was that the new mayor came in to complain about what the
previous mayor had proposed and had been agreed to by the former Liberal
government. That was one of the problems. Because it was based on the interests
of local government to make a contribution to the cost, it was pushing up the
cost to residents. This new approach means
that we can target support to people with the lowest means so that the lowest
cost would be for people without means and only a reasonable contribution is
asked from people with more resources. Because it has been driven by the needs
of the network, we can do more. It is a much better outcome and it will allow
for more rapid completion of the transition from overhead to underground in the
metropolitan area.
The SPEAKER : I give the call
to the Leader of the Opposition with the last question.
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