Western Power completes largest underground project yet

Energy Minister Bill Johnston has announced the completion of Western Power’s largest underground power project yet, with power now running throughout St James, East Victoria Park and Bentley.

The project involved the removal of 821 poles and 34 kilometres of overhead cable, while 542 new streetlights and about 53 kilometres of underground cable were installed.

“I’m so pleased to see Western Power’s latest package of undergrounding work is now complete in St James, East Victoria Park and Bentley,” Johnston said.

Johnston added that the investment in underground power would deliver clear benefits to the community, including improved power reliability and safer and more aesthetically pleasing streetscapes.

“It also provides greater power supply capacity, facilitating the connection of renewables and helping to deliver on the WA Government’s goal of net zero emissions by 2050,” he said.

The project is the third of nine undergrounding projects to be completed under Western Power’s Network Renewal Undergrounding Program Pilot. Undergrounding project areas are identified based on Western Power’s network-driven approach to replace aging overhead assets with underground power.

Western Power worked with the City of Canning and Town of Victoria Park to deliver the project, providing underground power to 2276 residents and businesses.

The cost of undergrounding is shared between the state government, Western Power, local governments and property owners.

“I’m very excited to see this project come to fruition for residents and business owners in St James, East Victoria Park and Bentley,” said Victoria Park MLA Hannah Beazley.

“Not only does underground power improve reliability, it reduces operational and maintenance costs for local governments and residents.”

Image credit: iStock.com/delectus