Generation

Overview:

Electricity in Western Australia is generated by various different types of power station in many locations throughout the State.  These power stations are run by many different means, with the main ones being Oil/Diesel, Gas, Coal, Hydro Electric, Wind and Solar.

The State owned electricity generator is ‘Verve Energy’ whom alongside some private companies owns the larger power stations with the high electricity output.

In the mining industry many of the mines are self sufficient and have power plants to generate electricity for their own use.  This removes the problem of having to construct long transmission lines from other power stations to feed remote mine sites with electricity.

The electricity generation industry in Western Australia is heavily reliant on fossil fuels, but in recent times more environmentally friendly ways of producing electrical are being sought after to reduce this reliance.

There are several wind farms in key locations in the State which draw on the naturally occurring coastal winds to proper the rotor blades of the wind turbines.

Solar energy is also developing more and more but on a smaller scale with government grants encouraging people to use solar energy for their homes to help reduce the demand on the main power system.

Traineeships:

In the electricity supply industry a traineeship offered in the generation sector is the Certificate III in Generation (Operations).  For more information on the qualifications available in the generation sector simply visit EE-Oz Training Standards Australia’s website: http://www.ee-oz.com.au

There are other traineeships being offered by Verve Energy in the industry which include:

• Engineering Tradesperson (Mechanical)
• Engineering Tradesperson (Electrical/Instrument)
• Metal Fabrication/Boiler making

Transmission, Distribution & Rail

The Electricity Transmission and Distribution system is the network that transports electricity from the power stations that generate it to the consumers that use it.  The consumers of electricity include domestic dwellings and large industrial complexes such as mines or factories. 

The electricity network is divided into the two categories, Transmission and Distribution.

The Transmission network transports the electricity at very high voltages from the power stations (sometimes over long distances) to large sub-stations, where the voltage is reduced for distribution to the consumers.   The transmission voltages in Western Australia normally range from 330KV (Kilo volts) to 66KV and these are carried by conductors on large overhead structures or oil and gas filled underground cables.  

The Distribution network takes the electricity from the sub-stations where the transmission lines come to the consumers, the Distribution voltages normally range from 33KV to 240V.  The domestic consumers supply voltage is 415V or 240V, whereas the big industrial consumers may take in there supply voltage at 11KV. 

The electricity network in the south west of WA is called the ‘South West Interconnected System’ (SWIS) and it is maintained by Western Power.  This network covers 322,000 sq km, includes over 800,000 individual consumers and has over 85,000 km of overhead and underground cables.  The remainder of WA is serviced by Horizon Power which covers a much larger area but has far less consumers.   These electricity networks require constant maintenance and expansion as the infrastructure ages and the population in WA grows.  

Traineeships
There are several Traineeships offered by the electricity supply industry in WA that lead to a Certificate III qualification in ESI distribution, these are:

Lineworker (Transmission)
Lineworker (Distribution)
Cable Jointer

There is an Overhead traction wiring systems Certificate III qualification which is related to the rail industry and the maintenance of the overhead electricity network in that sector.

The Transmission Lineworker role involves doing construction and maintenance on large steel towers or poles and the stringing of conductors.  This role can be physical (climbing up and down high towers), involves working at heights and being exposed to the elements.

The Distribution Lineworker is similar to the Transmission Lineworker but working on smaller structures with less climbing involved.   This role also includes working on ‘Live’ electrical conductors sometimes at high voltages.

The Cable Jointer role involves installing and maintaining cables on the distribution network, with a large amount of work being carried out in trenches and other confined spaces.  This role is different to the Lineworker role in that work is normally carried out at ground level or below but also involves being exposed to the elements.

Nationally recognised Training Package

Visit EE-Oz Training Standards Australia's website http://www.ee-oz.com.au to access detailed information about the Electricity, Transmission and Distribution training package.  EE-Oz is the national industry skills council with the responsibility for the maintenance of training packages in the electricity supply industry.  The website will provide you with details about the qualifications contained within the Training Package.

For further information on Training Package UET06 visit: www.ntis.gov.au

Registered Training Organisations

The Registered Training Organisation (RTO), e.g. TAFE Institutions, Universities with TAFE sectors, Skills Centres and similar enterprises that have registered to deliver vocational training for the given qualification in the National Generation Training Package.

Below, are a few of those RTOs currently registered in Western Australia taken from the NTIS website www.ntis.gov.au

Power Supply Services and Training - www.powertraining.com.au - Tel: 9367 2272

Power Training Services WA - www.westernpower.com.au/powertraining - Tel: 9411 7750