Western Power has begun work to enhance network resilience against major weather events and maintain network safety in the eastern Wheatbelt.
Executive Manager of Operations Zane Christmas said the work being undertaken in Bullfinch would reinforce network infrastructure and help reduce the duration of unplanned outages.
“We’re replacing around 220 poles, 23 kilometres of high-voltage powerlines and upgrading other network infrastructure including crossarms, insulators and transformers,” Mr Christmas said.
“Additionally, we’re upgrading protection equipment like switches and fuses to enable load transfer on the network to help reduce the duration of unplanned outages for the community.”
Mr Christmas said that while work is underway, back-up generation would be supplied where possible to minimise impact on residents and businesses, however some planned outages will be required for crews to safely complete the upgrades.
“We will notify residents and businesses affected a minimum of three business days but typically up to 10 business days prior to any planned outage,” Mr Christmas said.
“Traffic management will also be in place to help manage traffic flow while the upgrade work is being undertaken.
“We are working closely with the Shire of Yilgarn to minimise disruption to residents and businesses where possible.
“We understand planned works can cause some short-term inconvenience, but we expect them to bring long-term improvements to power supply to Bullfinch.”
The upgrades commenced last week and are due to be completed by the end of the year.