Rural power upgrade to deliver benefits for the bush

Powercor will invest $81 million into regional and rural communities to improve power supply and support more Victorians to participate in the clean energy transition.

The package will include upgrading 606 kilometres of single wire electric lines (SWER) to 22kv three-phase supply across 44 separate areas, providing more power capacity to support regional growth, while allowing more customers to electrify and invest in clean energy technology.

The upgrades are just one part of Powercor’s $3.6 billion 2026-31 regulatory proposal submitted to the Australian Energy Regulator for approval. It will add on average just $3 a year to distribution charges and reduce metering charges by on average $1 a year.

Powercor’s General Manager, Regulation, Renate Vogt, said thousands of Victorians had helped shape the five-year plan that, if approved, would ensure Powercor continued meeting the power needs of its 930,000 customers while addressing challenges arising from greater electrification and climate change.

“All customers no matter where they live are more reliant on electricity than ever before so it’s essential we are able to deliver the power they need,” Ms Vogt said.

“Our tailored package is designed to lift reliability and capacity for regional and rural customers, bridging the gap between city and country customers’ access to electrification opportunities.

“Upgrading the SWER network in targeted areas will support regional businesses grow and invest in larger facilities and operations, driving economic growth.”

The proposed SWER upgrade program would benefit 1,310 customers across rural areas around the Wimmera, the Goulburn Valley, the South West and the Macedon Ranges. The areas were selected based on sophisticated modelling identifying lines that will reach their capacity in coming years.

In addition, Powercor is also proposing to install an additional four high voltage tie-lines at Trentham, Gordon and Mt Egerton, Rokewood, Dereel and Corindhap, and Peterborough and Nirranda South, to provide faster power restoration if a power fault occurs.

The proposal also includes rolling out 17 stand-alone power systems (SAPS), providing an off-grid solution with generation and/or battery storage for individual customers, and the retirement of their current SWER line.

Powercor’s five-year plan includes:

• $94 million resilience package to help the network and local communities manage extreme weather events, including fire and flood resistant power poles, back-up power supplies for Apollo Bay, Ballan, Donald and Lancefield, and more on-the-ground support by introducing community support officers and expanding our emergency response vehicle fleet.
• $1.3 billion to maintain our assets to continue to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity.
• $97 million to support electrification for customers to get the most value from their investments in rooftop solar, electric vehicle charging and home batteries.
• $90 million to manage demand in the high growth corridors of Western Melbourne.

Powercor conducted its largest ever engagement program to develop this plan, connecting with more than 9,440 Victorian customers and stakeholders, electricity retailers and councils, as well as hosting a joint regional summit with Farmers for Climate Action (FCA) to better understand what Victorian farmers need.

“We’ve listened to our customers and have developed projects and initiatives that will deliver real benefits for our customers while keeping network costs as low as possible,” Ms Vogt said.

A copy of Powercor’s regulatory proposal can be found at engage.powercor.com.au.

Background – Our SWER network

SWER lines are 12.7kV radial electrical lines that distribute electricity across long distances to customers. SWER lines are made up of a single conductor supported by single insulators on poles with wide spans between each pole.

SWER lines were rolled out across remote and sparsely populated rural areas of Victoria in the 1950s and 1960s to support the electrification of lighting and refrigeration of homes and small businesses in a cost-effective way.

There are over 21,300km of SWER lines in our network. Through these SWER networks, we supply over 28,000 customers primarily in Victoria’s west, north-west and south-west regions.