Australian electricity network operator Western Power has revisited the option of building the new transmission line from Kojonup to Albany alongside one of the existing transmission lines, following numerous public requests that the idea be reconsidered.
The recent assessment found that locating the new line alongside either of the existing lines would provide an unacceptable risk to the security of power supplies to Albany and the Great Southern and place an undesirable imposition on landowners already affected by an existing transmission line.
Ian Buchanan, major projects co-ordinator at Western Power, said: Transmission lines require separation to reduce the chance of an external event, such as a storm or bushfire, impacting both lines of supply. The existing lines are separated by many kilometers over most of their length. This separation reduces the risk of a common event impacting both lines and completely cutting power to the region.