Synergy, the monopoly retailer for the South West grid in WA
Synergy is the residential electricity retailer for the South West Interconnected System (SWIS), the grid that serves Perth and the south-west of Western Australia. Unlike retailers on the National Electricity Market, Synergy holds a legislated monopoly on the residential market in WA: almost every household on the SWIS buys its electricity from Synergy. It does not run the poles and wires, however. When the power goes out, the network operator Western Power dispatches the crews. The Synergy outage page is where many WA customers check first, but the underlying outage data and outage map come from Western Power.
- How Synergy fits into the WA electricity market
- Why a power outage on a Synergy account is really a Western Power network event
- Synergy's role in life support, billing and customer service during outages
- The customer-facing tools, WA concessions and where to check outage status
A government-owned retailer with a million customers and no competition
Synergy is owned by the Western Australian Government. The WA residential electricity market is regulated, not competitive: there is no open retail market for households on the SWIS, and tariffs are set by the WA Government. Business customers above a threshold can buy from other retailers on the contestable market.
Key figures for Synergy:
- Around 1.1 million customer accounts across the SWIS.
- About 60% of the electricity generation on the SWIS, through its own coal, gas and renewable plants.
- Monopoly retailer for residential customers on the SWIS.
- Competing retailer on the contestable business market.
Synergy covers the same geographic footprint as Western Power on the SWIS, from Kalbarri in the Mid West to Albany in the Great Southern, and east to Kalgoorlie-Boulder in the Goldfields.
Why a Synergy outage is almost always a Western Power network event
Most power outages reported as Synergy outages are in fact network events caused by physical damage to the Western Power grid. Understanding the split helps customers know who to call and where to find live information.
Network faults
Storms in winter, summer thunderstorms in the Perth Hills, bushfires in the Darling Range, wildlife and equipment failures cause the vast majority of outages. These are network events handled by Western Power, regardless of who the customer's retailer is.
Supply-side blackouts
Because the SWIS is an isolated grid with no interconnection to the NEM, generation shortfalls during summer peaks can lead to AEMO-directed load shedding. Synergy generation assets and other plants on the SWIS coordinate dispatch through the WA market operator (also AEMO).
Account or meter-related interruptions
A small share of customer-side issues (disconnection for non-payment, smart-meter faults, prepayment top-up) are managed directly by Synergy and resolved through its customer service rather than via Western Power.
Coal retirement, batteries and the SWIS energy transition
Synergy is at the centre of the WA Government's plan to retire all state-owned coal generation on the SWIS by 2030 and replace it with renewables and storage, the most ambitious coal phase-out programme of any Australian state.
Synergy energy transition highlights
- Retirement of the Muja and Collie coal-fired power stations announced for 2025 and 2027 respectively.
- Construction of the Kwinana and Collie Big Batteries to firm renewable generation on the SWIS.
- Investment in new wind and solar generation across the South West and Mid West.
Coal retirement
The Muja power station is scheduled to close in 2025 and the Collie power station in 2027. The retirements remove around 1.5 GW of coal generation from the SWIS and need to be replaced by new firmed renewables to maintain reliability.
Big batteries
The Kwinana Big Battery (200 MW / 800 MWh) and the Collie Big Battery (500 MW / 2000 MWh) are among the largest grid-scale storage projects in Australia. Both are built and operated by Synergy and provide fast-frequency response that helps manage SWIS reliability during the coal phase-out.
New renewable generation
Synergy is contracting new wind farms in the Mid West and Wheatbelt, and building large-scale solar to support the coal exit. Combined with Western Power transmission upgrades, these projects aim to ensure the SWIS can meet peak demand without coal.
My Account, smart meters and where Synergy customers check outages
Synergy My Account
The Synergy customer portal lets households view bills, track consumption, set up Direct Debit and apply for concessions. It does not publish an outage map: customers are directed to the Western Power outage page for live network status.
Smart meters
Western Power is rolling out smart meters across the SWIS. Once installed, they let Synergy bill customers on time-of-use tariffs and provide better visibility on consumption, while also helping Western Power detect outages at the property level.
Synergy virtual power plant
Synergy operates a virtual power plant aggregating home batteries across the SWIS. Participating customers receive credits for letting the VPP discharge their battery during evening peaks or grid-stress events.
Outage information, life support and WA energy concessions
Where to check Synergy outages
Because Western Power owns and operates the SWIS network, the Western Power outage map is the source of truth for any power interruption on a Synergy account. Customers can also call Western Power's 24/7 faults line directly to report an outage.
Life support customers
Synergy maintains the life-support register for residential customers in WA. Households relying on equipment such as oxygen concentrators, home dialysis or ventilators can register through Synergy to receive priority notifications of planned outages and prioritised restoration during unplanned events.
Hardship and payment assistance
Synergy runs a Keeping Connected hardship programme for customers struggling to pay bills, offering payment plans, debt waivers and referrals to financial counselling.
WA energy concessions
Eligible WA residents can apply through Synergy for the Energy Assistance Payment, the Hardship Utilities Grant Scheme (HUGS), the Air Conditioning Rebate and the Cost of Living Assistance Payment, administered by the Department of Communities.
Synergy, Western Power and the wider WA electricity market
For a wider view of how Australia's three power grids are structured, see the Australian power outage page. On the SWIS, Western Power is the network operator that runs the poles and wires, while Synergy bills residential customers and operates the customer service line. Outside the SWIS, the rest of WA is served by Horizon Power. When the power is restored but the internet is still down in Perth or the South West, the largest fixed-line provider is the NBN, and most customers buy retail broadband from Telstra, Optus or TPG.