Henry Saffron retired from Western Power in 2016 after 28 years of service. During his career he held various engineering roles related to transmission planning and special projects. Some of his key achievements included getting regulatory approval for major transmission projects, establishing long term transmission planning processes, integrating different power systems to improve reliability, and increasing the capacity of interconnections. After retirement, he planned to focus on health, fitness, and travel.

1. Henry SAFFRON - Retirement in 2016
Name: HENRY SAFFRON
No. of Years Service: 28
Photograph provided:
Locations and Job
Titles during career:
1984-87 Contract Engineer Special Projects with System Development
Division – SECWA
From 15 Sep 1987 Planning Engineer - in SECWA & next WP
From 11 Jan 2007 to 17 June 2016 Principal Engineer Transmission in
System Capacity or NPS - Western Power
Outstanding Achievement/Career Highlight:
Getting the first approval of the regulatory test in December 2007 (for Mid West project) and also
instigating creation of a long term transmission planning which is now the SND section.
Why did you join the company:
“After working on many industrial constructions, in the industrial maintenance and in the design office it
was an opportunity to continue as a special project engineer and next continue in transmission planning
where my previous experience and expertise were utilised.”
What do you regard as your best achievement with the company:
 Simulation studies for voltage control of the NWIS & the EGF interconnection
 Instigating uniform electronic data base for modelling transmission system for PSSE.
 Instigating first correlation test to verify transmission system modelling for the PSSE.
 Integrating the NWIS by development of U/F islanding scheme & convincing the “competitors”
for trying it (reduction from 20 events of deep U/F load shedding to about 1 mild per year).
 Instigating creation of the Asset Maintenance Branch by Roy Hayes with Bill Wallace as first
Maitenance Engineer. Also attempting to combine transmission planning with asset replacement.
 Improving capacity of the EGF interconnection from 70 MW in 1984 to 170 MW in 1995.
 Simulation studies for CFCT & creation of Planning Criteria for NWIS, EGF & North Country.
 Starting in 1992 first economic evaluation of capital projects - pay back period for D. Eiszele
 Creating the first WP's Technical Code with Bill Bignell & Neil Chivers
 Instigating increase in PF requirement from 0.80 to 0.90 as it is now in the Technical Rules.
 Geting first Regulatory Test & NFIT approvals in December 2007 (for the Mid West project).
 Instigating a long term transmission planning – now SND section.
 Instigating and getting BC approval for use of STATCOM in Western Power.
Unfinished "business":
 Off-the-shelf standard modular substation design for Country & Metro areas
 Standard terminal transformers with nomex insulation for important terminals and substations
 Stopping use of the wood poles & replacing them with concrete poles
 Tariff conversion from kWh to kVAh
What will you do after 17 June 2016: “Enjoy post-WP life, get fit and go travelling, ...”

2. Henry SAFFRON - Retirement in 2016
Tramsmission Planning Branch at 6-West H/O (1993)
Capital Efficiency Branch - 2003. Only a few of them are still with WP.