❓ Question raises concerns about significant delays in Western Power approvals for new development power connections, impacting the construction industry. The Minister acknowledges constraints and outlines steps being taken to address the issue.
AnsweredQoN 864Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer the Minister to reports that Western Power needs up to a year to complete work related to approvals for power connections for new developments, work which industry claims used to take about 12 weeks, and I ask: (a) Is the Minister aware of the serious problems Western Power is creating for development projects requiring powerconnections; (b) What are the principal causes of the delays in the approvals for such connections; and (c) Other than looking to recruit more people in the midst of a tight labour market, has the Minister considered any other options to reduce waiting times, such as sub-contracting the task to private sector expertise, and if not, why not?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
10 October 2023
Responded by
Minister for Energy
Response time
9 days
(a) I am aware that Western Power is facing constraints in meeting distribution customer delivery expectations.
(b) Constraints are driven by an increase in market demand for construction and design services, as well as supply chain constraints.
(c) Western Power’s actions to improve delivery timeframes include increasing resourcing and reviewing its design operating model to increase outsourcing options. Western Power has also worked with industry bodies to implement process improvements, increased levels of stock holdings to counteract long lead times for certain items and invested in a dedicated project portal for customers to log, track, and access the status of their project, provide information, and ask questions.
(b) Constraints are driven by an increase in market demand for construction and design services, as well as supply chain constraints.
(c) Western Power’s actions to improve delivery timeframes include increasing resourcing and reviewing its design operating model to increase outsourcing options. Western Power has also worked with industry bodies to implement process improvements, increased levels of stock holdings to counteract long lead times for certain items and invested in a dedicated project portal for customers to log, track, and access the status of their project, provide information, and ask questions.
Explore WA Government Data
Search the full archive in the free dashboard, or query programmatically via API.
Explore more
Government Gazette
Appointments, regulatory notices, planning changes.
Hansard
Debates, questions, speeches and sentiment.
Tabled Papers
Reports and documents tabled in Parliament.
Committees
Committee profiles and recent reports.
Regulations
Subsidiary legislation with filters and summaries.
Bills
Proposed laws and parliamentary progress.
Acts
Current WA legislation and summaries.
Explanatory Memoranda
Bills with EMs (text/PDF) available.
Members
MP profiles, party breakdown and rankings.
Pollie Rankings
Data-driven rankings across 19 categories.
Amendment Chains
Track how schemes and regulations evolve over time.