THE program to replace or reinforce a record number of power poles in western Victoria by Powercor, as part of work to strengthen the electricity network, has reached a key milestone and is on track to hitting its annual target.

Crews have now replaced or reinforced 3462 poles (as at the end of July), or about 50 per cent of its annual target of a minimum of 6930 poles.

Subsequent to this milestone, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) has approved the $112.8 million cost of the major package of work, which will involve replacing or reinforcing at least 34,650 wood poles over the next five years.

In its determination, the AER stated it was “satisfied” the amount Powercor proposes to pass through to customers “reasonably reflect prudent and efficient costs”.

Powercor head of major projects and maintenance, Marcus Olive, welcomed the AER’s decision, which found these works would cost a typical residential customer an additional $3 a year.

“As we face more unstable weather conditions, building a stronger and safer network to minimise power outages in the future is critical,” he said.

“By replacing or reinforcing more wood poles, we are delivering real and positive benefits for our customers at the cost of less than a cup of coffee a year.”

The number of poles being replaced or reinforced has been outlined in Powercor’s bushfire mitigation plan, that is submitted to Energy Safe Victoria.

The program began on January 1 this year and will continue until 2026.

The first few months of 2022 involved setting up and planning the extensive supply chain logistics and resources for the program to ensure successful delivery against the planned target.   

“The number of poles we replace or reinforce monthly varies according to different factors such as weather conditions and access arrangements on agricultural land,” Mr Olive said.

“We’ve built a dedicated team to reliably deliver against our annual commitments.

“As the weather improves over coming months, we will be ramping up replacement and reinforcement numbers.”

Powercor has been coordinating replacements and reinforcements with other regional asset maintenance activities.

Replacement poles have included a combination of concrete and hardwood timber, with materials specifically chosen to suit conditions for each area.  

“Much of our work involves replacing large batches of poles in a short amount of time, and we appreciate the support we’ve received in those communities we have already been to,” Mr Olive said.

“We will continue keeping communities updated on our activities via media and social media channels, and through notifications when planned outages are occurring.”

Energy Safe Victoria recently said Powercor can meet its target if it continues to work to its current delivery plan.

Powercor will be publishing pole replacement figures quarterly at bit.ly/3CCq26t