Public Lighting Asset Management Strategy

Western Power operates and maintains around 288,000 streetlights across its network, which are used to provide public lighting services to local governments. The streetlights comprise of poles, outreach brackets, luminaires, globes, cables, fuses, and control systems.

Western Power’s Public Lighting Asset Management Strategy (strategy) outlines how Western Power manages public lighting assets to provide the community with a safe, reliable and affordable service and meet our regulatory obligations.

Western Power reviews the strategy annually, which includes consultation with local governments to ensure the strategy is fit-for-purpose and aligned to local government objectives. Western Power will advise local governments of upcoming consultation shortly. 

Ongoing feedback regarding the strategy can be directed to our Community and Stakeholder team.

Between March and May 2024, Western Power invited local governments to consult on its strategy and share their public lighting objectives, desired outcomes, challenges and opportunities. Feedback has informed this and future strategies.

Participation in the research was strong, with responses received from 52 local governments (48% regional, 52% metro) representing 87% of Western Power’s streetlight fleet.

As part of the consultation, Western Power tested with participants its proposed proactive transition to LED program, which was formed based on preliminary feedback from local governments through its fifth Access Arrangement submission process.

Ninety four percent of local governments agreed that the proposed proactive replacement with LED luminaires would be of benefit to them.

This program is in addition to the LED luminaires that will be installed through reactive programs responding to failed assets. The combination of proactive and reactive programs offer the lowest life cycle cost for luminaire/globe components by reducing maintenance in the long term. It also supports the lowering of energy consumption and gradual reduction of faulty streetlights over the next decade.

The proactive LED program is expected to commence in mid-2025 and be completed by 2035. The roll-out sequence will be finalised by Western Power using a fair and equitable methodology. Local Governments will be consulted prior to delivery of the program in their area.