Underground Power

The City has a vision to have power lines placed underground throughout the entire City of South Perth area.

The objective is to: 

• improve reliability and security of the electricity supply to the community
• enhance streetscapes and visual amenity with the removal of power poles and wires
• reduce the need to unnecessarily prune street trees and clear overhead wires
• improve street lighting which can deter crime and improve community safety

A survey of property owners was undertaken by Energy Policy WA (formerly known as the Public Utilities Office) in August 2016. The survey provided the opportunity to vote yes or no and also gave an indicative cost to each property owner for their consideration plus other associated information.

Survey results from the City of South Perth areas indicated solid support for underground power and the three Round Six projects were subsequently selected.

The City supports the installation of underground power believing the benefits gained by property owners and the community outweigh the costs involved. These benefits include:

Improved street appearance
The removal of poles and wires makes areas more desirable to live in. It also reduces the requirement for tree pruning and the unsightly foliage deformation that occurs to keep trees clear of overhead wires.

Improved property values
The removal of poles and power lines, plus the improvement to the streetscape, has been shown to increase property values. Please refer to the Economic Regulation Authority cost benefit study of the SUPP 2011.

Improved street lighting
Street lighting will be upgraded to energy efficient LED luminaries as part of the project. Better street lighting can help to deter crime and contribute to improvements in road safety.

Improved security and reliability of power supply
Moving to an underground electricity distribution system can improve the reliability and quality of power supplies. This includes reducing faults and outages caused by storms, trees, bird life, vandalism, equipment failure and motor vehicle collisions with poles.

A safer public environment
The removal of poles and power lines prevents personal safety hazards caused by fallen power lines, pruning near power lines and car accidents involving power poles.

Increase in tree canopy cover
Reduces urban temperatures and therefore energy costs.

A survey of property owners was conducted on behalf of Energy Policy WA (formerly known as the Public Utilities Office) in August 2016. The results of the survey indicated that a representative majority of property owners are in favour of the proposal to install underground power, and for property owners to contribute to the cost of the installation. 

It is not viable for an individual property owner to 'opt out' of the project as all overhead distribution power lines will be removed.

Owners of vacant land will be charged for the cost of underground power, just as for rates and sewerage. However, there will be a discount because there is no property service connection.

SUPP projects are based on a user-pays principle, where those who benefit are required to pay a contribution. The benefits of the program are received by property owner through improved reliability, efficiency of services and improved property values.

The Program’s shared funding arrangements reflect the benefits gained by property owners, the State Government and Western Power. Property owners will benefit from enhanced streetscapes, more reliable power, brighter and safer streetlights and a safer public environment. An added benefit is an increase in property values.

With designs now complete, a detailed cost estimate for each project area will be provided by Energy Policy WA (formerly known as the Public Utilities Office).

When the detailed cost estimates are known, the City will determine the underground power service charge to be levied on each property within the project areas.

Detailed design works have been completed for each of the three project areas.

Diamond Underground Services have been contracted to carry out the works for the Collier and Manning areas and preliminary work in Collier commenced in December 2020. The project schedule is being finalised and more information will be available here soon. 

Works in the Manning area are expected to commence in mid-2021.

Detailed designs for the South Perth area have been completed. Work in this area is scheduled for late 2021. 

Once the construction phase of the project commences, Western Power will be installing the new underground cabling progressively through the street verges, and from the front of each property to the meter box (except where this cable already exists) using below ground boring methods.

Once the new system is connected and energised, Western Power will change each property over from the overhead to the new underground system. The old overhead system is then removed as soon as possible.

Most underground cables are installed using below-ground boring. This reduces the amount of disruption on street verges and inside the front garden of properties. Open trenching may be required to suit local site conditions in some location. Any damage to footpaths, driveways and roads will be avoided as much as possible and all work areas reinstated to as close to their original condition as practicable.

In most project areas all overhead wires and poles will be removed. This may not occur in some areas until late in the project because some parts of the overhead system cannot be turned off until all properties have been changed to the new underground system.

The City's website will be updated at regular intervals throughout the underground power project. As more information becomes available, these Frequently Asked Questions will be updated and added to, and progress reports will also be available on the Underground Power page.

In addition to this, there will be regular features on the underground power project in Peninsula Magazine, the City's bimonthly newsletter that is distributed to all households in the City. Regular updates will also be included in the City's enewsletter and on its social media channels.

At each phase of the project the contractors will also issue advice via letters to householders.

With designs now complete, a detailed cost estimate for each project area will be provided by the Office of Public Utilities (a branch of the Department of Finance, managing the SUPP for the State Government).

At the September 2020 Council Meeting elected members accepted a $2.2 million COVID-19 financial relief package from Western Power for the Collier and manning projects which will substantially reduce the project costs. 

The new offer has reduced the average cost per property to the same value as was included in the original survey that residents completed in 2016.

Payment details and the repayment structure will be considered as part of the 2021/22 budget process.

The cost for each project area will vary depending on the unique site conditions, constraints imposed by ground conditions, and the number of properties within the project area.

Western Power conduct an open tender process for each project and select the best contractor based on their selection model, the City has no involvement in this process.

If you wish to discuss this matter further please contact Western Power.