We're engaging with regional communities in targeted areas across the network to better understand their felt experience and priorities, so that we can deliver tailored solutions to improve their power reliability.

In addition to helping plan the works for Regional Connect, the feedback from the community is being used to develop:

• The baseline for tracking future customer felt experience in the target areas following the Regional Connect upgrades
• An ongoing regional reliability improvement program
• Our next five-year budget proposal (for 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2032) – known as Access Arrangement 6 (AA6)
• A Customer Experience Strategy

The first set of target areas selected for Regional Connect are:

• Lancelin
• Northampton
• Shire of Irwin
• Gnowangerup and Lake Grace.

Another tranche of target areas for 2025/26 and 2026/27 delivery will be announced in late 2025.

The feeder lines being upgraded under Regional Connect were chosen based on a detailed multi-criteria assessment. This analysis incorporated numerous factors, including:

• Customers experiencing a high number of long unplanned outages
• Challenging environmental conditions
• Diverse community needs
• Opportunities to improve the feeder.

Each package of works has been tailored specifically for each region.

Yes, absolutely! We would love to hear from all regional customers. Please complete the survey below or leave a comment on the interactive map to ensure we receive your feedback.

The regional and remote parts of our network present unique challenges as feeder lines span long distances exposed to environmental factors including storm and bushfire and exposure to build up like salt and dust. During an unplanned outage, crews often need to patrol these lines which span hundreds of kilometres.

Western Power’s ongoing efforts aim to improve regional reliability through enhanced maintenance, network upgrades, new infrastructure, and exploring innovative energy solutions tailored to regional needs.

Western Power invests more than $1 billion annually on maintaining and upgrading the network including the more than 828,000 poles. As part of this we undertake a range of maintenance activities, including:

• Regular inspections of poles, wires, and equipment to identify wear or damage
• Siliconing and washing of insulators
• Managing vegetation around powerlines to reduce the risk of outages and bushfires, especially in high-risk zones
• Upgrading or replacing ageing infrastructure, including transformers and conductors, to improve safety and reliability
• Using sensors, smart metres, and other advanced monitoring tools and data analysis to help detect issues early and guide future maintenance planning.

We’re aiming to increase the network’s resilience to severe weather events, which are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, while building capacity to support the transition to a clean energy future.

Renewable solutions such as energy storage systems are being considered as part of the Regional Connect program.

Other medium-term solutions such as additional back-up generation that rely on diesel fuel are intended as interim solutions to improve regional reliability as we work toward the energy transition.

Regional Connect is funded through an $88 million allocation by the Economic Regulation Authority WA to improve rural long feeder reliability under Western Power’s Access Arrangement 5 (AA5).

The network upgrades taking place as part of Regional Connect are designed to reduce the duration of long outages. Initiatives such as remotely controlled or automated devices, changes to the way the network is configured, and back-up generation are designed to kick in when a fault occurs.

Unfortunately, we don't have the ability to prevent faults that cause power outages from occurring.

Residential customers should automatically be signed up to receive outage notifications. Western Power uses the mobile number linked to your Synergy electricity account by default, so it’s best to make sure these details are correct. Our outage updates will be sent via SMS from a Western Power mobile number, so you know it's legitimate and not a scam.

If you are not the account holder but would like to receive updates, you can register for SMS notifications on our power outages page (bottom right corner).

If you experience a power outage, first check Western Power’s outages map or call 13 13 51 to see if the outage is known and get updates. Turn off appliances to protect them from damage when power returns, and use torches or battery-powered lights instead of candles. Stay informed through a battery-powered radio or your phone, and limit opening your fridge and freezer to keep food cold. If you rely on electric pumps, make sure you have stored water available. Report any fallen powerlines or hazards to Western Power and check on neighbours who may need help.

Western Power calculates its Estimated Time of Restoration (ETR) using a combination of:

1. Queue time – how long the outage has been known and logged
2. Travel time – the estimated arrival time of repair crews
3. Repair time – the projected time needed to fix the issue.

These estimates are updated as crews assess the situation. While helpful, ETRs are not exact and can change due to safety issues, weather, or unexpected damage.

When the network detects interference, our automatic safety reclosers activate to ensure there isn’t damage to the network that may impact the safety of the community. While this should not be causing damage to equipment or appliances, surge protection is recommended.

Western Power will consider cancelling or limiting planned outages during hot weather or heatwaves where the temperature exceeds 38 degrees and there is significant community impact.

However, planned outages are necessary for network maintenance and upgrades to be completed and to avoid unplanned outages which can be longer in duration depending on the damage and repairs required.

Impacted residents and businesses will be notified by Western Power a minimum of three business days, but typically up to 10 business days, in advance so you can plan ahead and prepare as necessary.

We understand planned outages can cause inconvenience, and work to minimise impacts. We thank you for your patience and understanding.