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Our Company
Verve Energy was created in April 2006 when Western Power separated into four businesses. We compete against privately owned energy companies to provide a reliable electricity supply to WA business and residential customers.
The separation was part of the State Government’s reform of the electricity industry – how electricity is generated, distributed and retailed – to lower long-term electricity prices to customers through the introduction of competition.
Owned by the State Government, Verve Energy has its own board which reports to the Minister for Energy.
As part of moves to deregulate the power industry and encourage competition, the Government imposed a ceiling on Verve Energy’s generating capacity of 3000MW (equivalent to about 75% of the State’s expected needs in 2007/08).
By retiring old plant over the next three years, Verve Energy ‘s capacity will be reduced to below this capped limit. A strategy is in place to progressively replace older plant to maintain our competitive position.
Verve Energy deals directly with retailers, not with customers. Customers receive their electricity account from Synergy.
Verve Energy employs about 550 staff in five business units – Operations, Trading and Fuel, Finance and Business Services, Strategy and Business Development and Corporate Services.
What makes Verve Energy distinct from its competitors is the variety of fuels - coal, gas and liquid (oil or distillate) - used in its power stations and its diverse portfolio of sustainable energy sources such as wind, bio-energy and solar.
Coal is used to produce around 70% of the electricity generated by Verve Energy; the remaining electricity is primarily produced by gas.
Fuels used in the major power stations are: Muja (coal), Kwinana (gas, coal and oil), Cockburn (gas) Collie (coal), Pinjar (natural gas and distillate).
Fuels used to produce electricity in our smaller power stations are: Mungarra (gas), West Kalgoorlie (distillate) and Geraldton (gas and oil). And in our joint ventures and Power Purchase Agreements: Kwinana Power Partners (gas), Tiwest (gas), Kemerton (gas and distillate) and Worsley (gas and 50% owned by Verve Energy).