The WA State Government continues to roll out stand-alone power systems (SPS), with Western Power planning an additional 100 units for Round Two of the SPS project.
The units are being installed in the Mid-West, Goldfields, eastern Wheatbelt and the Great Southern regions.
The SPS project follows the success of a pilot trial in 2016, which significantly improved power reliability with customers avoiding more than 200 hours of power interruptions over the past three years.
Round One of the SPS project involved installing 57 SPS units this year.
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Energy Minister Bill Johnston said stand-alone power systems provide an economical alternative to replacing poles and wires in many low population density rural areas.
“This project is also boosting local jobs with supplier Hybrid increasing employees from seven to 29, including six apprentices, providing valuable training and skills for young locals,” he said.
“To further support this, I’m driving legislative change through the Electricity Industry Amendment Bill 2019, which includes provisions for the use of new technologies in Western Power’s network, specifically stand-alone power systems and energy storage devices.”
