A parliamentary question regarding a power outage in the Wangara industrial area due to a faulty power pole, including inspection history, related faults, and preventative measures. Western Power's response details the cause of the outage, actions taken, and ongoing inspection processes.

AnsweredQoN 2935Legislative Assembly
Asked
15 June 2004
Portfolio
Energy

QuestionView source ↗

(b) when was the last time this pole was inspected; (c) at the time, was a written report made of the status of the pole; (d) if not, why not; (e) what was the related fault that caused a further delay in reconnecting power to the Wangara industrial area; (f) what was the ‘higher priority’ situation that arose that further delayed the repair of the main fault; (g) what action does Western Power intend to take to ensure that the Wangara industrial area is not left without power for 5 to 6 hours again; (h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(c) at the time, was a written report made of the status of the pole; (d) if not, why not; (e) what was the related fault that caused a further delay in reconnecting power to the Wangara industrial area; (f) what was the ‘higher priority’ situation that arose that further delayed the repair of the main fault; (g) what action does Western Power intend to take to ensure that the Wangara industrial area is not left without power for 5 to 6 hours again; (h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(d) if not, why not; (e) what was the related fault that caused a further delay in reconnecting power to the Wangara industrial area; (f) what was the ‘higher priority’ situation that arose that further delayed the repair of the main fault; (g) what action does Western Power intend to take to ensure that the Wangara industrial area is not left without power for 5 to 6 hours again; (h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(e) what was the related fault that caused a further delay in reconnecting power to the Wangara industrial area; (f) what was the ‘higher priority’ situation that arose that further delayed the repair of the main fault; (g) what action does Western Power intend to take to ensure that the Wangara industrial area is not left without power for 5 to 6 hours again; (h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(f) what was the ‘higher priority’ situation that arose that further delayed the repair of the main fault; (g) what action does Western Power intend to take to ensure that the Wangara industrial area is not left without power for 5 to 6 hours again; (h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(g) what action does Western Power intend to take to ensure that the Wangara industrial area is not left without power for 5 to 6 hours again; (h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(h) when does Western Power intend to put this action in place; and (i) if no action is intended, why not?
(i) if no action is intended, why not?

AnswerView source ↗

Answered
17 August 2004
Responded by
Minister for Energy
Response time
63 days
a) Western Power provides its suppliers with strict specifications in relation to the height and thickness of poles and accepts delivery of them based on the assumption that these specifications have been met. It is not practicable for Western Power crews to take measurements along each pole at the time of installation. The pole broke because its diameter at the break point did not meet the specifications for termination pole, the strength of the pole may have been further reduced by the 22 mm drill hole which is necessary to install a stay bolt.
b) As the pole was relatively new, there was no inspection done.
c) N/A
d) N/A
e) To minimise disruption to customers, the pole was isolated from the network for repairs, and attempts were made to feed customers from another part of the network. However, this did not work because a tap had burnt off a pole top switch at the other end of the cable. It is highly likely the tap was damaged because of the fault current created when the pole broke.
f) There was no higher priority situation
g) Western Power undertakes regular inspections of the overhead network to identify and address any maintenance issues. This is an ongoing process.
h) See (g)
i) See (g)

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