Large-scale pole replacement program scheduled around harvesting cycle

Western Power crews, heavy vehicles and power pole laden trucks were highly visible in the Northampton area in March and April, as more than 500 power poles were replaced as part of a record $5 million investment in the Western Australian region.

It’s the largest pole replacement program Western Power – a corporation owned by the Western Australian Government– has scheduled in more than a decade.

Mid-West regional manager Adrian Stewart said an intensive work program had been deliberately scheduled for March and April so as to minimise disruptions with local farmers.

“We planned the work around the harvesting cycle and before winter rain softens paddocks. We aim to finish before seeding starts and have as little impact on farmers as possible,” Mr Stewart said.

“As many as 10 crews were working on any one day using cranes and cherry pickers to deliver one of the largest pole replacement programs undertaken here.

“On some days we plan to replace as many as 60 poles in a day to reduce the number of times property owners experience an outage.”

Where possible, Western Power used generators to maintain power supplies to some power lines to reduce the number of customers who experienced power interruptions.

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