AGL has been appointed to help deliver Australia’s largest rollout of stand-alone power systems (SPS). The $17 million program, developed by state-owned corporation Western Power, will replace around 330 kilometres of overhead powerlines with stand-alone power systems, providing continuous, efficient off-grid power.
AGL General Manager for Commercial and Industrial Customers, Ryan Warburton, said the project will improve how regional households and businesses connect.
“As self-sufficient generators, stand-alone power systems utilise solar and battery technology to improve reliability and provide a cleaner source of electricity,” Mr Warburton said.
“Our regional and remote communities face some of the most challenging connection issues, with regular outages, longer fault response times and vulnerability to extreme weather events frequently impacting supply.”
“This roll-out will help make these issues a thing of the past and ensure communities from Kalbarri to Albany have energy they can rely on,” he said.
“AGL has been a supplier of stand-alone power systems for three years, successfully overseeing 54 stand-alone power systems in the Cooper’s Basin project for Santos.”
Mr Warburton added: “As part of AGL’s Climate Statement, we are committed to supporting Australia’s energy transition through technologies, like stand-alone systems, which lower emissions and have a meaningful impact on communities.”
Western Power CEO, Ed Kalajzic, said Western Power had been on an innovative drive to evolve the south-west grid to meet the changing energy demands of its customers, now and in the future.
“We’re ahead of many other energy utilities in implementing new technologies and are leading the way to a cleaner and more resilient energy supply for the next generation and SPS is an excellent example of how we’re achieving this,” Mr Kalajzic said.
“Since we began the Great Southern trial in 2016, the project has rapidly progressed due to the fantastic outcomes it realises for our customers and the cost savings it means in infrastructure maintenance and renewal.”
AGL has also been selected as one of five companies to be included on Western Power’s panel of preferred suppliers, providing priority access for bidding on new tenders until the end of 2022.
