POWER cables have been put underground in the section of Yanchep Beach Rd affected by the December 11 bushfire but the high voltage powerlines where the fire ignited east of Wanneroo Rd are still above ground.
A Western Power spokesman said following an inspection of damage to the network from the 2019 Yanchep bushfire, a decision was made to rebuild the network using underground power between Yanchep Beach Rd and Wanneroo Rd-Indian Ocean Dr intersection as part of the recovery effort.
“The decision to underground the network, rather than use overhead powerlines, was reached following an analysis of soil and topographical elements, as well as age, condition, and position of the overhead asset that showed underground power was the preferred option,’’ he said.
Western Power said $1 million had been budgeted for the Yanchep Beach Rd project but did not respond to a question from Yanchep News Online about how much it cost to replace the powerline-power poles along Yanchep Beach Rd immediately after the December 11 bushfire, which have now been removed.
The authority also did not respond when asked for an estimate of what it would cost to underground power on Wanneroo Rd between Pipidinny Rd and Old Yanchep Rd and whether the likelihood of karst in the area would be a problem if any such project was considered.
Earlier this year Breakwater estate resident Andy Kupfer approached Western Power about the possibility of removing the overhead lines on the eastern side of Wanneroo Rd in the Yanchep National Park and replacing them with underground power.
In July Mr Kupfer said he estimated it would cost about $1.5 million to underground the 3km stretch of powerlines where many of the trees were taller than much of the national park.
Mr Kupfer said Western Power wrote to him saying its bushfire mitigation strategies for the area were appropriate and there were no plans to underground that section of overhead lines.
But Mr Kupfer said the McGowan Government and the City of Wanneroo should look at undergrounding power in the area as an urgent safety issue in light of the fact a few weeks after the Yanchep bushfire there was a similar incident when a falling tree affected powerlines alongside Wanneroo Rd in Carabooda resulting in a bushfire there.
He said strong easterly winds were once again a factor in the February 18 bushfire, which was reported at 4.34am.
“Just this time fireys were able to contain and control the fire before it jumped the road or the sea breeze set in,’’ he said.
“This repeat incident going back to the same root cause got me thinking in terms of the inadequacy of the vegetation control as suitable measure to prevent fallen trees or parts thereof impacting on overhead power lines in this part of Yanchep National Park between Pipidinny Rd and Old Yanchep Rd.”
Western Power crews working to restore power after the December 11 Yanchep bushfire: Picture: Anita McInnesAbout 13,000ha was burnt during the Yanchep bushfire on December 11 – including 1127ha in the Yanchep National Park compared with only 1.5ha in the February 18 bushfire attended by crews from Wanneroo Central Volunteer Bush Fire Brigade, Quinns Rocks Bush Fire Brigade, Butler Fire and Rescue and Joondalup Fire and which had aerial support in the early stages.
Mr Kupfer said with the population growth predicted in the City of Wanneroo it was worrying no authority or state or local government was considering underground power alongside Wanneroo Rd in the Yanchep National Park as being essential for the safety of residents in the Yanchep and Two Rocks area.
On November 19 the Western Power spokesman said its preference, wherever physically and financially practical, was to replace overhead powerlines with underground power cables and about 61 per cent of the Western Power network was now underground.
“We assess undergrounding power opportunities on a project by project basis as they are presented to the business,’’ he said.
He said undergrounding power opportunities were generally presented through either customer-funded requests like the state underground power project (SUPP), in partnership with the state and local government, or as a network renewal underground power project (NRUPP) where Western Power looked to replace big areas of the grid.
“There are no plans currently for the overhead powerlines on the eastern side of Wanneroo Rd, between Walding Rd and north of the Old Yanchep Rd intersection, to be undergrounded through either SUPP or NRUPP,’’ he said.
