Western Power crews are more than halfway through the task of replacing 180 power poles and two kilometres of powerlines that were destroyed by the fires in Bullsbrook, WA.
Western Power’s Head of Field Operations, Brad Lacey, said that crews had safely replaced more than 100 power poles since the restoration operation began.
“The next stage of our recovery effort is to efficiently clean the powerlines that have been impacted by ash and soot-filled smoke to prevent any further damage to the network,” Mr Lacey said.
“A helicopter crew will fly above the network in the Bullsbrook region and spray powerlines and pole top equipment with demineralised water to safely wash away the build-up of pollution.”
“We use demineralised water to prevent the electricity current travelling back up the water stream to the helicopter.”
Mr Lacey said the helicopter would need to hover quite low to spray the powerlines and Western Power advises residents in the Bullsbrook area to move livestock from paddocks that are close to powerlines.
“We want to avoid frightening animals while we carry out the necessary network cleaning,” he said.
“Most of the residents who lost power during the Bullsbrook fire have now been safely reconnected to the network. Where possible, we have provided temporary generators for those customers awaiting reconnection.”
“In addition to our crews working hard in the fire zone over the next few days, we will provide support to the local community and help them return to their normal lives as quickly as possible.”
Members from Western Power’s Field Operations team will attend community meetings held in the City of Swan and the City of Wanneroo to provide residents with an update on the network restoration works and to answer questions.
