Sunset at Cable Beach, Broome

Pilbara towns and services

Pilbara town packs

Our housing portfolio covers the towns of Dampier, Karratha, Wickham, Tom Price, Paraburdoo and Pannawonica

Dampier
Dampier Welcome Pack
PDF
928 KB
Dampier Town Information
PDF
333 KB
Karratha
Karratha Welcome Pack
PDF
818 KB
Pannawonica
Pannawonica Welcome Pack
PDF
1.06 MB
Pannawonica Town Information
PDF
488 KB
Paraburdoo
Paraburdoo Town Information
PDF
390 KB
Pilbara
Pilbara Welcome Pack
PDF
2.26 MB
Tom Price
Tom Price Welcome Pack
PDF
976 KB
Tom Price Town Information
PDF
180 KB
Wickham
Wickham Welcome Pack
PDF
876 KB
Wickham Town Information
PDF
369 KB

Industrial

  • Working near power lines
  • High Load Movements
  • Dial Before You Dig

Working near power lines

It is the responsibility of the site owner, company or contractor to ensure that work near overhead or underground power lines can be carried out safely and that no person, material or equipment involved in the performance of the work enters the 'danger zone' around power lines at any time. There are serious penalties for breaching this important safety regulation.

Work near power lines and other electrical installations must be planned to ensure:

  • Compliance with WorkSafe and electrical clearance requirements during site works
  • Adequate separation between the completed work and the adjacent line

We can provide assistance in determining whether there will be adequate separation between the works and any adjacent power lines.

High Load Movements near Pilbara power network crossing

Rio Tinto is committed to the health and safety of all our employees, contractors and visitors.

We have an established High Load Movement (HLM) application process that manages the safe movement of oversize vehicles around Rio Tinto's Iron Ore Pilbara Operations, and serviced townships as outlined in the area map. Operators of loads higher than 4.3 metres (4.6 metres for livestock vehicles travelling on nominated routes) must apply for a high load movement permit to ensure safety precautions are observed when in the proximity of powerlines. Transport operators must also refer to Main Roads Western Australia requirements before applying for a permit. Our key requirements will not be compromised and all processes must be followed exactly.

If there is anything contained within the HLM application that you do not understand, you must clarify the issues before proceeding. Enquiries can be made by contacting our help desk on 1800 992 777 or emailing RTIOHighLoadMovements@riotinto.com.

Dial Before You Dig

Dial Before You Dig is a referral service for information on locating underground utilities anywhere in Australia. Locators, excavators, electricians, plumbers, planners, developers, farmers, land surveyors, builders, contractors, home owners and landscapers all over the country are taking advantage of our convenient referral service.

No matter the size of your project, you can be doing landscaping in your backyard or heavy work such as directional boring or directional drilling. Tell us when and where you plan to dig and we will pass that information on to the underground utility owners to respond directly to you with the cable and pipe location information.

Call 1100 during business hours for more information or visit the Dial Before You Dig website.

Utilities

Management and supply of energy and water in the Pilbara

We operate and manage electricity and water infrastructure in the Pilbara, in a way that ensures safe, reliable water and electricity supplies are delivered to Pilbara towns. A breakdown of energy and water suppliers by Pilbara town is provided below.

  • Dampier

    Energy

    Rio Tinto

    Water

    Rio Tinto

  • Karratha

    Energy

    Horizon Power

    Water

    Water Corporation

  • Pannawonica

    Energy

    Rio Tinto

    Water

    Rio Tinto

  • Paraburdoo

    Energy

    Rio Tinto

    Water

    Rio Tinto

  • Tom Price

    Energy

    Rio Tinto

    Water

    Rio Tinto

  • Wickham

    Energy

    Rio Tinto

    Water

    Water Corporation

Your account

This section contains information about your Rio Tinto Utilities (water/electricity) account. If you have any questions relating to your account, please contact our help desk on 1800 992 777.

  • Connections

    For all new connections to our electricity network an electricity account application form will need to be submitted. All new installations are required to be fully inspected prior to being energised. A full inspection of the new installation ensures that the electrical installation is safe to energise.

  • Land development

    We manage land development requests in Dampier, Tom Price, Paraburdoo, Pannawonica and Wickham.

    This includes:

    • Western Australian Planning Commission applications for subdivisions and amalgamations;
    • Coordinating construction approvals within the proximity of water and electrical assets
    • Providing comment to local government on development approvals (ie variation of R-Codes)
    • Providing comment to WA government on sale of crown land
    • Advising prospective purchasers on service availability

    Please contact the Compliance team via the Service Desk (1800 992 777 or PilbaraUtilities.Dev@riotinto.com).

  • Planned network outages

    We try to carry out necessary maintenance work on the network without interrupting your power supply. However, on occasions, we may need to interrupt your supply to perform planned maintenance on the network, respond to an emergency or in very rare instances shed electrical load on the network when electricity demand exceeds generated supply.

    Unless it is an emergency, we will give you at least 3 working days notice before a planned power interruption. This notice may be through advertising, individual notices, telephone, SMS, email, letter or fax.

    If we do need to interrupt your power supply, there are things you should be aware of:

    • Access to your meter box may be required. Please ensure all entry gates are unlocked and dogs are properly secured.
    • We recommend that you switch off sensitive electronic and electrical appliances prior to the scheduled power interruption, including TVs and DVD players.
    • Cordless phones do not operate without mains power, so keep a standard phone or mobile phone handy in case of an emergency.
    • Automatic garage doors, security gates, lift and elevators may not operate during a power interruption, so you may wish to make alternative arrangements.
    • Avoid opening fridge and freezer doors unnecessarily during planned power interruptions.
    • If you have solar panels, your electricity inverter will automatically switch off when power loss occurs and switch back on when power is restored.
    • After the power has been restored please ensure all alarm clocks, reticulation systems and security gates (if you have a monitored security alarm without a backup battery, advise your security company of the power interruption) have been reset.

    We may cancel the planned power interruption due to inclement weather or unforeseen circumstances without notice.

  • Electric shocks and accidents

    What are electric shocks, incidents and accidents?

    An electric shock is defined as an incident which does not require medical or first aid treatment.

    What should I do?

    If you witness an electrical accident it is important to respond quickly and with caution. If a victim has been injured then contact Emergency Services on 000.

    Any person who receives an electric shock should seek medical attention as symptoms may arise some time later.

    All electric shocks should be reported to the network operator Rio Tinto on 1800 992 777. We will investigate and report as required under the Electricity Licensing Regulations to Energy Safety.

    For information please visit the EnergySafety website.