Power chiefs ready for change

If Doug Aberle does his new job very well he will continue to maintain his low public profile. But based on recent experience, that will be a big challenge.

Mr Aberle has been selected as chief executive of Western Power’s networks business, which will be formally established next April when the current integrated business is split into four separate companies.

As head of networks, which will continue to use the Western Power name, Mr Aberle will be in the hot seat whenever blackouts and other power supply problems arise.

To prepare for the change, Mr Aberle is “rebuilding the business from top to bottom”.

“The most exciting part of it is stepping out in a stand-alone business in a new regulatory environment,” he told WA Business News.

Mr Aberle said all of his direct reports would be new roles, and he expected to complete making the new appointments in the coming week.

“It’s a streamlined structure to provide clear accountability,” he said.

A major focus for the business will be the $2.3 billion upgrade of the state’s electricity infrastructure.

“That’s all about making sure we can get the investment done and doing so in the most efficient manner,” Mr Aberle said.

One of the major changes will be increased use of external contractors, who will be given opportunities to bid for packages that include design, construction and commissioning.

Mr Aberle said this would enable Western Power to utilise the skills and capability of private contractors and would also provide more flexibility in terms of handling future work requirements.

Mr Aberle has seen plenty of changes during his 30-year career in the power industry.

He started in 1974 with the State Energy Commission of Western Australia, which was split in two in 1995 to form Western Power and gas utility Alinta.

Most recently he was general manager, networks.

Mr Aberle was one of four major appointments announced last week.

Energy Minister Alan Carpenter also announced that John Lillywhite would be chief executive of the stand-alone generation business.

Mr Lillywhite joined Western Power in 1997 as head of its retail division and has been general manager generation since August last year.

He will oversee a business that generates about 3,000 megawatts of electricity annually.

It owns five major power stations at Collie and Kwinana, as well as a number of smaller power stations, and has an interest in co-generation plants at the Tiwest in Kwinana and the Worsley Alumina refinery.

The chief executive of the stand-alone electricity retailing business will be a new recruit, Jim Mitchell.

Mr Mitchell is currently chief financial officer of Ergon Energy, a Queensland government-owned energy business.

The retail business will buy electricity from a range of producers and sell it to consumers in the state’s South West.

The rest of the state will be serviced by a stand-alone regional business, to be run from Karratha.

It will be headed by Rod Hayes, who is currently chief executive of Gladstone Area Water Board in central Queensland and previously was employed by Aurora Energy, Tasmania’s electricity distribution and retail company.