WESTERN POWER — OUTAGES
718. Hon COLIN de GRUSSA to the parliamentary secretary
representing the Minister for Energy:
I apologise if my Esperance accent
butchers any of the following community names!
I refer to the recent power
blackouts, which are ongoing, in Quairading, South Quairading, Dangin, Wamenusking,
Bulyee, Dulbelling, Badjaling, Balkuling, Pantapin, Aldersyde, Merredin and
Yoting.
Hon Sue Ellery: Aren't
you a member of the National Party?
Hon COLIN de GRUSSA: I have
an Esperance accent!
(1) Will Western Power undertake an internal review of
why the predicted three-hour outage became a three-day outage; and, if
so, when will this be completed?
(2) Will an
additional compensation payment, such as the payment made following the
Christmas power outages in Perth, be provided?
(3) Does Western
Power have any policies around power pole repairs on wet ground; and, if so,
when were these last updated, and can the minister please table a copy of the
policy?
(4) When were the
poles in this region last assessed for maintenance requirements, and can the
minister please table any recent maintenance records?
Hon
MATTHEW SWINBOURN replied:
I thank the member for some notice
of the question. The following information has been provided to me by the
Minister for Energy.
(1) Western Power
already has a program of works to improve its customer communications as part
of its implementation of recommendations from the independent review of the
Christmas outage. This outage will be a case study to incorporate lessons
learnt. Western Power apologises for the frustration caused by the change in estimated restoration time and
acknowledges that these estimates are an area for improvement. In this instance, until the crew discovered the
extent of flooding and ground-stability issues, the reasonable estimate
was a few hours of work for repairs. Once the complexity was discovered, extra
crews from Perth and specialised equipment were deployed on Monday to help
stabilise the area. Western Power also stood up an emergency management team in
response to the outage.
(2) In March this year, the state
government increased the extended outage payment to $120 for all eligible
outages. Customers who experience an outage greater than 12 hours are eligible
to apply for the $120 extended outage payment for each eligible outage.
(3) Western Power
has a range of policies and procedures relevant to these repair works,
including for the deployment and utilisation of specialised equipment that must
be dispatched to site. Policy and procedure documents cannot be provided in the
time given. The member is encouraged to put this part of the question on
notice.
(4) The most
recent inspection of the affected section of line was completed in May 2022.
More detailed maintenance records cannot be provided in the time given. The
member is encouraged to put this part of the question on notice.