September 2011 Update
Eastern Terminal Project
Western Power’s Eastern Terminal project remains deferred. Current information from Western Power’s website states that the new switchyard ‘will not be required until 2017 at the earliest’.
The South East Terminal, due for construction at Oldbury south of Armadale, and linked to an upgraded Wells (Boddington) to Hacketts Gully line will not be required “for at least three years” (as of September 2011). Western Power’s information indicates that this project has not progressed to regulatory approval stage ‘due to the uncertainty regarding the timeframe for new generation in the area and that alternative generation developments have deferred the need for this network reinforcement’.
The most recent Western Power information session held in Forrestfield in November 2010 saw the release of the Corporation’s Annual Planning Report. This report and the new generation of Western Power personnel present at that session indicate that there has been some philosophical changes in Western Power’s management of power transmission. For instance, the current unconstrained network access model is to be replaced with a constrained access model which optimises the economic return from the transmission and distribution network. This means that reinforcements (new lines and switchyards) would no longer be driven by the need for all generators to be able to export the maximum amount of power for which they are contracted, but rather to generate sufficient power to meet load requirements.
Further, South West Integrated System (SWIS) power is transmitted using a 330kV transmission system linked in parallel with an underlying 132 kV system. Western Power’s new approach is to unparallel the 330kV and 132 kV transmission systems at various points in the network to improve the utilisation of the 330kV transmission network. At least one Western Power representative at the Forrestfield session said this was currently as low as 30 percent!
We feel these changes are significant in the management of and transmission of power. The SETS Group remains vigilant in monitoring Western Power’s plans for our area and will, when required, inform our supporters of any developments that may affect the above timelines.
Shire of Kalamunda Elections
September 2011, SOUTH - EAST WARD
Councillor Frank Lindsey who co-founded the SETS Group to oppose Western Power’s Eastern Terminal project, and who is the only Kalamunda Shire Councillor living in and representing the eastern section of the shire is standing for re-election in the South - East Ward.
Frank played a key role in our campaign and was instrumental in activating the Shire’s opposition to Western Power’s plan. It will be very important in combating any attempt by Western Power to reactivate their plans in the near term that Frank’s expertise is retained on the Kalamunda Council. Here is Frank's re-election flyer (911.13 kb) for your information and consideration.
Griffin Coal – Bluewaters Power Stations
When Griffin Coal lost their contract to supply Verve power stations with Collie Coal, the management of Griffin Coal undertook the construction of the Bluewaters Power Stations based on an economic model that saw Griffin Coal supply coal to Bluewaters at very low prices. Much of Bluewaters power goes to the Boddington gold mine whose owners paid for the upgrade of the Collie to Boddington transmission line. It is reported that only ten percent of Bluewaters generation goes to the state’s electricity grid.
The receivership of both Griffin Coal and Bluewaters in 2010 and the subsequent sale of these two companies (Griffin Coal to the Indian owned, Lanco Infratech, and Bluewaters to Japanese owned, Kansai Electric Power and Sumitomo Corporation) has seemingly further muddied the waters as far as the SWIS Reinforcement project is concerned.
Lanco Infratech has found itself straddled with a supply contract that is uneconomic for Griffin Coal. It was reported in June 2011 that Lanco Infratech wants to export as much coal as possible to India and was even prepared to pay a damages penalty rather than supply coal to Bluewaters. It was only on the intervention of Premier Barnett that this crisis was averted, but negotiations are yet to resolve this situation.
One can only speculate that if the reinforcement of the SWIS (by the upgrade of the Boddington to Hacketts Gully line and construction of the Eastern Terminal at a cost of 190 million dollars) had been completed by the Western Power timeline of Summer 2010, Western Australian taxpayers may now be facing the prospect of owning an expensive white elephant!
Thanks for your continued support.
John Davenport
Co-convenor SETS Group