Former Synergy executive Stephanie Unwin is set to lead regional energy retailer Horizon Power next year, while Screenwest, SNC-Lavalin, Worksafe WA and Destination Perth have also announced significant appointments.
Iron ore miner Roy Hill has connected its Port Hedland operations to Horizon Power's North West Interconnected System following the installation of extensive underground facilities, which began in 2016.
State-owned regional power provider Horizon Power has recorded a $35.4 million net profit for the year to June, while hitting its targeted reduction of government subsidies more than a year ahead of time.
Commissioning has been completed today at a 150-megawatt gas power station in South Hedland built by Canadian energy company TransAlta, to power Horizon Power customers and Fortescue Metals Group's operations.
Western Australia is emerging as a market leader in the uptake of microgrid technology in electricity markets, with recent announcements by Horizon Power and Carnegie Wave Energy part of broader moves across the sector.
Solar-powered battery storage devices are being installed in Esperance to provide power to a handful of people previously connected to the electricity infrastructure razed by last November's bushfires.
In some of the state's more remote towns, where electricity can be 700 per cent more expensive to deliver than in Perth, embracing cheaper new technology is only part of the solution to driving down costs.
How is it possible to remove an incumbent contractor (yet retain a good relationship) and save millions by negotiating with another organisation that agrees to take on greater risk?
A dispute between privately owned Alinta Energy and Horizon Power hangs over state government plans to overhaul the north-west's unregulated electricity network.
Rural network provider Horizon Power has in part blamed a downturn in the economy for the company's decision to reduce its number of electrical linesmen by 28 per cent
