❓ A WA parliamentary question addresses power outages in Attadale, questioning the minister on the frequency and duration of blackouts experienced by constituents and seeking action to improve power supply reliability, including underground powerline installation.
AnsweredQoN 68Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Is the minister aware that under the Electricity (Supply Standards and System Safety) Regulations 2001 for the Perth metropolitan area, the average number of times a consumer’s supply should be interrupted per year is three, and the average duration of each interruption should be no more than 45 minutes? (2) If so, will the minister explain why some constituents in the Attadale area have experienced six blackouts since January 2004 and why some of those blackouts have lasted up to 24 hours? (3) Having suffered two major blackouts in the past three weeks, what action will the minister take to ensure that the residents of Attadale no longer have to put up with a Third World system of power supply? (4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER
AnswerView source ↗
I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(2) If so, will the minister explain why some constituents in the Attadale area have experienced six blackouts since January 2004 and why some of those blackouts have lasted up to 24 hours? (3) Having suffered two major blackouts in the past three weeks, what action will the minister take to ensure that the residents of Attadale no longer have to put up with a Third World system of power supply? (4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(3) Having suffered two major blackouts in the past three weeks, what action will the minister take to ensure that the residents of Attadale no longer have to put up with a Third World system of power supply? (4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(2) If so, will the minister explain why some constituents in the Attadale area have experienced six blackouts since January 2004 and why some of those blackouts have lasted up to 24 hours? (3) Having suffered two major blackouts in the past three weeks, what action will the minister take to ensure that the residents of Attadale no longer have to put up with a Third World system of power supply? (4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(3) Having suffered two major blackouts in the past three weeks, what action will the minister take to ensure that the residents of Attadale no longer have to put up with a Third World system of power supply? (4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(4) Will the minister consider bringing forward any plans to install underground powerlines in Attadale and neighbouring suburbs, which have also been badly affected by continual power cuts? (5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(5) If not, why not? Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
Mr E.S. RIPPER replied: I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
I thank the member for Alfred Cove for some notice of that question, as I thank the Leader of the National Party for some notice of his question. The advice I have has been provided largely, I think, by Western Power. (1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(1) Yes. These criteria are long-term average values for all consumers within a particular geographic area. It is recognised within the standards that some consumers will have more or fewer interruptions in a given year. For the calendar year 2003, the average number of times a customer in the Perth metropolitan area, excluding the central business district, suffered an interruption was 1.87. The standard does not include interruptions of less than 60 seconds. (2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(2) The Attadale area is supplied via three networks and two separate substations. Since the beginning of January, some faults on these networks have affected one single customer, while others have affected many. I understand the reasons include pole-top fires, a crow, a switching error and an overload. The duration of these outages has varied from a few seconds to 24 hours. Without a constituent’s specific address, I am unable to provide precise reasons. However, Western Power would be pleased to provide further information, should the member require it. If the member would like to contact my office, we will arrange for the contact person in Western Power to talk to her. (3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(3) The major blackouts of 17 and 18 February, which affected residents in Applecross, Ardross and Booragoon, were the result of overloads on the low-voltage network. A further overload on 19 February affected customers in Attadale. I understand that three new 1 000 kilovolt-ampere transformers have since been installed in affected areas to accommodate significant increases in demand. This and further work in the area will ensure overloads are not a problem in the foreseeable future. Power supplies to Attadale residents were affected by three pole-top fires after light rain on Sunday, 7 March. Pole-top fires occur when light rain follows a dry spell, during which dust or salt has built up on insulators on powerlines. Washing the lines has proved ineffective unless repeated fortnightly, as dust can build up very quickly in some conditions. Western Power has almost completed a trial involving four feeders in which a silicone coating has been sprayed onto live overhead equipment. Western Power has also developed special training programs for contractors to carry out this work and, following an assessment of the trial, plans to embark on a program of silicone coating susceptible feeders over the next few years. (4) Conversions to underground power are run by the Office of Energy, which invites local government authorities to nominate suburbs for inclusion in the project. Invitations for round four of the program will be sent out in early 2005. It is up to the local government authority to decide whether it will nominate an area for the program. It is my understanding that the Melville City Council has not nominated Attadale for inclusion in the program to date. (5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
(5) Not applicable. The blackouts and outages that people have experienced are very serious matters. I require Western Power to minimise this sort of experience for our customers, and I know it will do everything possible to do that.
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.