Flooding has closed Western Power’s Wellington Street office indefinitely, displacing workers as the utility prepares for a peak period across the state’s main electricity grid.
Flooding has closed Western Power’s Wellington Street office indefinitely, displacing workers as the utility prepares for a peak period across the state’s main electricity grid.
A burst pipe damaged multiple floors in the office tower at 363 Wellington Street on Saturday morning, leaving the building out of action for staff this week.
A Western Power spokesperson confirmed the incident to Business News, confirming the damage was "extensive".
“The damage sustained means the building is currently inaccessible,” they said.
The full extent of the impact is still being investigated, but Western Power believes the damage is not structural. The site is not home to the utility’s network control room.
The spokesperson said operational crews and hazard response were based at other depots, with Perth office workers sent offsite or to work at other Western Power locations.
“Employees based at Western Power's Perth office are working remotely or at other depots while the building is assessed and repaired,” they said.
“IT and operational systems remain fully functional, ensuring continuity for the business and services.”
The number of staff affected has not been disclosed.
The closure of a major office building comes at an awkward time for the state’s electricity network provider, amid peak season and with the festive break around the corner.
The Bureau of Meteorology is forecasting two 41-degree days in the lead up to Christmas day, before a cool change takes hold on December 24.
Electricity demand typically spikes during the summer heat, while increasingly extreme weather conditions have created new challenges for the state’s electricity network in recent years.
A thunderstorm labelled a “freak supercell” severed the SWIS connection to the Goldfields in January, leaving customers in Kalgoorlie and its surrounds without power for several days.
A momentary power outage which impacted around 1,500 customers in Perth CBD, West Perth and East Perth yesterday is understood not to have been linked to the closure of the Perth office.
