ELECTRICITY SUPPLY — MULLEWA
8. Hon RICK MAZZA to the
minister representing the Minister for Energy:
I refer to ongoing power outages in Mullewa, a town without
an alternative supply of backup power, which jeopardises the town's
vaccines, medications, food and mobile telecommunications.
(1) Is the
minister aware of the ongoing power outages in Mullewa that force the dumping
of vaccines, medicines and food?
(2) If yes to
(1), why has this problem persisted for so long?
(3) How many
power outages have there been in Mullewa over the past five years?
(4) What is
being done to address Mullewa's ongoing power outage problem to ensure
that it does not keep happening?
(5) When can Mullewa residents expect to have their ongoing
power outage problem solved?
Hon STEPHEN DAWSON
replied:
I thank the
honourable member for some notice of the question.
(1) The
minister is aware of outages in Mullewa.
(2) The causes
of outages in Mullewa can be attributed largely to lightning, wildlife and
vegetation, which are outside Western Power's control. The recent
outages can be attributed to strong winds in the area, which are common in the
area for this time of year, blowing rubbish and debris into powerlines on the
long feeder lines that service the area. Many of these outages were complicated
by total fire ban and vehicle movement ban conditions, preventing Western Power
from completing repairs and patrols that would have reduced outage times.
Although the December period was particularly difficult, it does not reflect
the experience throughout the rest of the year in Mullewa. Prior to these
outages, only three outages were experienced in 2018, with the longest just over
four hours.
(3) Between 1 February
2014 and 31 January 2019, there were 414 outages in the Mullewa area. It is
important to note that not every customer experiences every power outage. Each
customer has experienced on average 9.5 interruptions a year.
(4) Western
Power is making a significant $7 million investment in the Mullewa region
between 2017 and 2022, with approximately 500 pole replacements and 800 pole
reinforcements, as well as siliconing 2 300 poles. This is expected to reduce
the risk of faults and improve reliability. Western Power is also reviewing the
location of generators to help reduce the length of outages. Western Power also
met with stakeholders, including the City of Greater Geraldton, on 7 February
to discuss reliability in the region.
(5) Mullewa's
reliability will continue to be monitored and Western Power will continue to
evaluate further investment options in this region, including potential
opportunities for standalone power systems.