Collins, the chairman of WA's biggest health insurer HBF, has begun his four-month contract and quickly declared that he would not tolerate a repeat performance of last week's power woes. How much support he gets from the political types is another story.

Already the blame game and political bartering has begun with the Opposition blocking any further moves to break-up the energy giant despite calls from big business that such a move would promote competition and greater regulation of WA's most contentious utility.

So far Collins has remained quiet on that particular matter, although he is probably hunkered down in his office trying to come to grasps with the complexities of energy retailing, a sector he is yet to book any experience in.

However, opinions from the WA business sector suggest he is more than capable of handling the role even though he has well and truly been thrown into the deep end.

He has learnt from the mistakes of van der Mye's failed public relations strategy, offering his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of a volunteer fireman who was killed this week tending to a fire. A possum being electrocuted on a Western Power pole is thought to be one possible cause of the fire, and he promised it would be looked into.

Western Power acting chairman Neil Hamilton secured the board's unanimous support for the appointment of Collins, who is also a former chief financial officer of Challenge Bank, while Doug Aberle was appointed as chief operating officer to oversee the day-to-day management of the organisation.

Collins will be paid former CEO Stephen van der Mye's base salary. However, he will not be entitled to the performance bonuses and perks that were controversially included in his predecessor's contract.

His contract will expire on June 30, the date set by the Government for the separation of Western Power into four Government-owned businesses.