Consultation report
11 February 2026
Public consultation on the capacity expansion proposal and the proposed Baldivis Substation was open from 24 November to 19 December 2025.
During this period, Western Power held:
- a pop‑up community engagement event
- a community drop‑in session
- an online stakeholder briefing
We also contacted property owners adjacent to the proposed site to inform them of the proposal and invite their feedback.
Across these activities, we spoke with 109 community members and stakeholders and received 55 submissions. Thank you to everyone who contributed.
What we heard and how we responded
We have reviewed all submissions and prepared responses to the matters raised. These are available in the Public Consultation Summary and Responses, which forms part of our submission to the Economic Regulation Authority (ERA) lodged on 6 February 2026.
Western Power’s preferred option continues to be the development of a new Baldivis Zone Substation at 60 Pike Road, which is required to meet future electricity demand in the area. Amenity‑related concerns raised during consultation will be examined further and discussed with the community during the next stage of design consultation, if the project proceeds after the regulatory determination.
Public Consultation Summary and Responses
What happens next
Our full regulatory test submission will soon be published on the ERA’s website.
The ERA is expected to release an Issues Paper mid-February 2026, inviting submissions from interested parties and beginning its review of Western Power’s proposal.
Before Western Power can commit to this investment, the ERA must be satisfied that:
- all reasonable alternative options, including hybrid non-network solutions have been considered, and
- the preferred option maximises the net benefit to those who generate, transport and consume energy on the network.
Further information is available on the project timeline.
Western Power submitted its regulatory test application on 6 February 2026. More information will be published on the ERA website as next steps of the Regulatory Test process occur, including details on how to provide input into the determination process.
The next steps are:
- ERA publishes an Issues Paper and invites submissions (Expected by mid-February 2026)
- ERA publishes submissions received on the Issues Paper (Due within a minimum of 20 business days, expected by mid-March 2026)
- ERA publishes its determination (Within 45 business days of receiving submissions, expected by mid-April 2026).
The ERA is the independent decision‑maker for all major augmentation proposals. The ERA will determine whether the proposal to meet future capacity needs in Baldivis through a new substation is approved.
