Similar to its predecessor, the Targeted Underground Power Program (TUPP) is a partnership between the Government of Western Australia, Western Power and local governments. Funding for projects is shared between these program partners.
The State Underground Power Program (SUPP) has operated since 1996 and, when its final projects are completed in 2024, it will have been responsible for the undergrounding of over 100,000 properties in 111 project areas, mainly in metropolitan Perth.
Compared with overhead supply, underground power provides a number of benefits including:
- improved electricity reliability and safety
- reduced maintenance costs
- improved streetscapes and enhanced property values
- reduced street tree maintenance costs
- facilitation of LED street lighting with associated reduced costs and emissions, and
- increased capacity to host distributed energy resources (DER) such as rooftop solar and electric vehicles.
The TUPP has been designed to maximise Western Power’s contribution to project costs, target parts of the network most in need of replacement and direct State Government funding to lower socio-economic areas through tiered levels of State Government support.
Key features of the new Program include:
- selection of areas through a network-driven approach, which prioritises project areas with a high density of aging overhead assets to maximise Western Power’s contribution
- a State Government contribution to support projects in lower socio-economic project areas
- improved governance and simplified administration, including an ongoing rolling program (rather than competitive funding rounds) and annual oversight through the State Budget process, and
- demonstrated ratepayer support for projects.
The move from funding rounds to a rolling program will allow for a more efficient use of contractors and allow more projects to be delivered, with Western Power targeting approximately eight projects per year.
Western Power has initiated discussions with 12 local governments to date and will generate a pipeline of projects meeting its network replacement needs, as well as the needs of local governments and customers.
