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
