Esperance rural upgrades

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Click on the questions below to see their corresponding answers.

Which areas of the Esperance District are included in the upgrade works?

The program of works will take place throughout the Esperance district - in rural areas in and around Esperance, Norseman and Hopetoun.

Why are upgrades needed in the Esperance District?

The Esperance district network covers a huge area - over 20, 000 square kilometres.

The sheer length of the Esperance district network poses many challenges in terms of reliability to our customers. Equipment failure and adverse weather conditions are magnified in comparison to those experienced on a smaller network.

The rural upgrades will tackle these challenges and improve safety and reliability of power supplies to our customers in these areas.

When did the program start and when will it finish?

Upgrades to the three-phase network started five years ago and were completed in March 2010.

The focus has now moved to the single-phase network and a full, ongoing program of works is scheduled to build on the success of the three-phase program.

What has been done to-date?

In the last five years, Horizon Power has:

• Replaced over 2,500 wooden poles with steel poles and upgraded over 4,500 insulators. Steel poles offer many benefits in terms of safety and reliability; reducing the risk of bushfires and eliminating the risk of power poles becoming weakened.
• Installed additional power poles on our long stretches of network to reduce 'long bays'. Additional poles reduce the number of power interruptions and the risk of bushfires caused by powerlines clashing in high winds. A total of 615 long bays have now been reduced in length to mitigate the risk.
• Installed eleven additional reclosers on the Gibson, Dalyup and Condingup feeders to reduce the number of customers whose power supplies are affected by momentary interruptions. Reclosers act as safety protection devices, momentarily interrupting power supplies if a fault is detected and restoring power if the fault is cleared without Horizon Power intervention.
• Installed an isolation transformer which has enabled the separation of the Condingup and Gibson feeders. Customers on the Condingup feeder will no longer be affected by a power interruption on the Gibson feeder and vice versa.
• Upgraded the low voltage network on Norseman Road to improve power quality for customers serviced by the Gibson feeder.

Are the upgrades improving reliability?

Yes. Reliability has improved by more than 50 per cent since the rural upgrade program started.

How much has the project cost?

Approximately $30 m has been spent to-date improving power supplies in the Esperance District.

Who is Horizon Power working with on the project?

Horizon Power is partnering with Transfield Services to deliver the Esperance rural upgrades.

What works are coming up in the future?

Work on the three-phase network has been completed and our priority is now the single-phase network, with a focus again on upgrading existing infrastructure.

Our program of works until June 2012 includes:

• the replacement or reinforcement of power poles;
• fuse replacements in high fire risk areas;
• the replacement of overhead system conductor in rural areas; and
• the installation of additional reclosers on the single-phase network.

Will there be planned power interruptions to allow the works to happen?

Yes, there will be times where we need to interrupt power supplies in order to carry out the infrastructure upgrades safely.

Horizon Power will keep you updated about our schedule of works and provide at least three days notification of any planned power interruption, either by a phone call, card drop or advertising in local media.

We understand that these shutdowns can be disruptive and we thank the community for their continued patience and support as we carry out these works.

What will the benefits of the program be?

The work on the Esperance rural electricity networks will ensure the rural networks comply with all current safety, environment and reliability codes, regulations and standards.

I live in town, will I benefit from the works?

Yes - faults and power interruptions on the rural network often affect town-based customers too.

The program of works will not only reduce the number of power interruptions for rural customers but for town-based customers too.

For more information, contact:

Community and Customer Relations Manager
Rachel Clarke
Email: rachel.clarke@horizonpower.com.au
Telephone: (08) 9072 3408.