Australian Power & Energy News Vol 19 No 99 June 2015

Please see our editorial and advertisement on pages 18 and 19

Please see our advertisement and editorial on page 3

VOL. 19 NO. 99 - June 2015

Print Post No. PP100000928

All enquiries phone: +61 7 5478 9432 Email Enquiries: apen@worldpacific.com.au Circulated to key personnel within all Power Utilities and Power Generators throughout Australia and New Zealand each issue

Special Feature - Pages 10-16

TasNetworks innovation extinguishes fire risk Read more about this brilliant technology on pages 4-8

Above: Substation Engineer David Kruijver uses an access fob to enter the Liapootah substation

Above: Staff at the Kingston Powerhouse in the 1920s

Above: TasNetworks Engineering and Design Group Leader Eddie Jager and Substation Engineer David Kruijver in front of an exhaust fan inside the substation

Above: Electricity House on completion in 1969

Momentum Energy welcomes new Managing Director

Milestone for South African hydropower project: Neusberg hydropower plant

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OUTHERN Africa’s newest hydropower plant met its final project milestone in January, achieving full commercial operation, and was officially launched recently.

The Neusberg project is a run-of-river small hydropower project on the Orange River near Kakamas in the Northern Cape of South Africa. It is the first run-of-river hydropower scheme developed under the Republic of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer’s Programme (REIPPP) and will deliver 10 MW of baseload power in the South African energy market, enough electricity for about 5000 households.

The Neusberg project is owned by Kakamas Hydro Electric Power (RF) (Pty) Ltd (KHEP), a company registered in the Republic of South Africa in which there are four equity participants:, Hydro 1 SA, Hydro Tasmania South Africa, Old Mutual Life Assurance Company (South Africa) Limited, and a community trust funded by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC).

The REIPPP has been designed by South Africa’s Departments of Energy and Treasury to help achieve a target of 3725 megawatts of renewable energy. It aims to support environmentally sustainable growth, and to stimulate the renewable energy industry in South Africa.

“Hydropower is one of the few renewable sources of baseload energy generation – that is, it constantly generates a predictable flow of electricity”, said Christoff le Grange, Hydro Tasmania’s Director Southern Africa.

“As long as there is sufficient flow in the river, the power plant can generate electricity, and since the Orange River is a managed system, this means that the generation capacity is almost constant.”

Construction at Neusberg began in June 2013 and the power station began commercial operation on 31 January 2015 on time and on budget.

“Hydro Tasmania and its consulting business Entura have been involved in the whole lifecycle of the project from design through construction and ongoing support for operation and maintenance. One hundred years of experience developing and operating hydropower plant in Australia equips us with the expertise to deliver vital skills to this project,” said Mr le Grange.

The project will provide revenue to the project partners for 20 years under the power purchase agreement entered into with South Africa’s energy utility Eskom. It also provides benefits to local communities.

“In an area characterised by high levels of poverty and unemployment, developing the facility has created many work opportunities,” said Hydro SA’s Niel Theron

M

OMENTUM Energy recently announced the appointment of Paul Geason (above) as its new Managing Director.

Mr Geason brings with him a wealth of experience from his time at Telstra Corporation, where he was part of the leadership team and led Telstra’s Enterprise, Government and Wholesale divisions. Mr Geason also has experience working in startup and early-stage technology companies.

“Paul is very excited about the opportunity to lead Momentum Energy,” said Evangelista Albertini, Acting CEO of Hydro Tasmania, Momentum’s parent company. “The business is an important part of the Hydro Tasmania group and we are delighted to have someone of Paul’s calibre at the helm.”

“Momentum has a great story to tell: it’s part of a business with 100 years of renewable energy expertise, and its energy offerings are backed by Tasmanian hydropower,” Mr Albertini said. “Coupled with its strong customer focus and evolving product offerings, this positions Momentum as a market leader in renewable energy.”

The appointment of Mr Geason comes as Momentum Energy readies itself to launch its gas retailing services to the Victorian market.

“The year ahead will be a truly exciting time for Momentum Energy and I am looking forward to every opportunity it brings,” said Mr Geason. “I’ve always been passionate about customers, innovation and growth and those attributes are at the core of the business culture at Momentum Energy.”

“Energy will continue to play a pivotal role in shaping Australia’s future and I am honoured to have the opportunity to work with the teams here at Momentum Energy and Hydro Tasmania at such an important time,” he said.

Mr Geason officially took up the role as Managing Director on 5 January 2015.

“At the project’s peak, at least 350 people worked on site, half of them from the local community and specific employment opportunities were created for young people and women.”

Local business also derived benefit from the project’s commitment to spending money on South African goods and services. During the construction period the project maintained a local content spend in excess of 70 per cent.

The project also brings an ongoing social and economic boost to the community.

The broader Kakamas community has a 15 per cent shareholding in the project which is administered via the Kakamas Hydro Community Trust. The dividend income will be kept in trust and distributed via community projects that will focus on education, the elderly and children. The dividend spend is monitored by the Department of Energy’s IPP Monitoring Office.

“In addition, the Kakamas Hydro Electric Project (KHEP Project) will spend 2-3% of its revenue – which amounts to approximately R60 million over the life of the 20year power purchase agreement - on community projects,” said Hydro SA’s Economic Development Project Manager Mercia Grimbeeck.

“This will go a long way toward stimulating and facilitating economic growth and social change in a community where it is much needed.”

Now that the construction of the hydro power facility is complete, the existing site

office will be donated to the Zwartbooisberg farming community to be used as its new school premises.

Hydro Tasmania will continue to perform an ongoing role in providing remote alarm monitoring and dispatch control services from its 24-hour Hobart operations centre. A local operation crew will be available, to attend to any maintenance issues that may arise.

Hydro Tasmania South Africa will also provide engineering services to the project throughout its life.

Above: Overview of the Neusberg hydropower project

ActewAGL wins national Dial Before You Dig technology award

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HE Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA) recently presented the prestigious Dial Before You Dig (DBYD) award to Lance Rees from ActewAGL at their annual conference event in Brisbane.

The award is based on results from a competition conducted anonymously by GITA which compares the responses of a member company to a set of enquiries. The responses are judged on the speed, quality, availability and accuracy of material provided to the enquirer.

“We are very fortunate to have the levels of expertise in ActewAGL to produce high quality technology solutions that can compete against the best in the marketplace”, said ActewAGL Chief Information Officer John Barriga.

ActewAGL developed a solution, called AIRS for DBYD that automates the processing of over 95 percent of the 22,000 plus DBYD requests it receives each year from the community.

ActewAGL took the ‘AIRS for DBYD’ product to the commercial market in 2006, with it now being used by some of Australia’s largest utility companies. In 2001 ActewAGL sold the product to a vendor specialising in the DBYD domain.

And just a reminder, whether you are a do-ityourself renovator, an individual tradesperson or a commercial excavator, anyone can use the DBYD service. You can make an online enquiry using the block and section number at 1100.com.au or by calling 1100.

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Published Bi-Monthly - Circulated to key personnel within all Power Utilities and Power Generators throughout Australia and New Zealand

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Above: Lance Rees from ActewAGL being presented with the DBYD award

Test and Calibration Feature

Driving Service Improvement in Testing and Calibration

I

F there were gold medals awarded to those who operate with distinction in the world of testing and calibration and in particular, for those who are determined to be the best of the best, then Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal would be taking the top step. And this service is now available not only in Australia, but also New Zealand.

This award winning and highly accredited mobile testing company is based in Queensland but services all of Australia, and now also all of New Zealand; and it takes what it does very seriously. Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal’s fleet of service vans are state of the art and fully equipped to produce up to 210kV, which allows technicians to test any piece of critical safety equipment onsite. This includes anything from LV gloves rated at a working voltage of 500V, up to large elevated work platforms (cherry pickers / bucket trucks) which may require testing up to 207kV test voltage.

But what really separates Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal from their competitors is the level of service provided to their customers, and also the training and support provided for their field technicians on it’s ongoing highly disciplined processes.

The company employs a highly qualified Technical & Training Manager whose sole duty is to train field staff and provide around the clock on-call advice whenever required by their mobile technicians. The high level training provided encompasses not just a full in-house intensive training package, but also includes ongoing tuition on the latest electrical instruments and safety equipment as well as ‘best practice’ work processes. Importantly, training includes not just theory but practical elements covering everything that is learnt in the classroom.

According to CEO Andre Borell, the company’s philosophy is simple; “Our aim is to be the very best at what we do, whenever and wherever we’re required; so our whole training programme must be of the highest standard. Not only do our team deserve that support, but so do our clients. This is a safety issue and our clients need to know that when we test or calibrate their equipment that it will fulfil the task required with the utmost accuracy and their employees are never at risk due to faulty equipment.”

Operators in the electrical industry cannot afford to lose time or efficiency due to faulty equipment, as downtime can be costly.

This is without even mentioning the massive safety risk that comes with using faulty equipment. Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal not only makes it easy for clients to abide by regulations by providing an onsite service, but the mobile delivery of it’s services minimises or eliminates any down time due to service requirements.

Above: Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal Depot Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal is the preferred choice throughout the energy sector across Australia, particularly testing and calibrating safety equipment and instruments at power stations and for utility sub-contractors. Elevated Work Platforms (EWP) is another speciality, and Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal EWP services are always in demand. Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal is now also offering all of these services in New Zealand.

Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal are qualified to meet compliance and mandatory requirements for the complete range of electrical measuring devices and safety equipment including; Insulated Gloves; Insulated Mats; Rescue Kits; Hot Sticks; Elevated Working Platforms; Tiger Tails; RCD Testers; Insulation Testers; Multimeters; Clamp meters; PAT Testers; Multifunction Testers, Voltage Testers, Power Quality Analysers, Scope Meters, and much more.

Recently, Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal increased it’s range of services with the addition of Infrared Temperature Gun, Thermal Imaging Camera, Pressure, Torque, Lux and Vibration calibration services.

For more information about Mobile Test ‘n’ Cal in Australia, please visit www.mobiletestncal.com.au or phone 1300 662 119. For the New Zealand Operations, please visit: www. mobiletestncal.co.nz or call 0800 123 682.

Australian Power & Energy News - Page 3

TasNetworks innovation extinguishes fire risk REVENTION is better than cure as Tasmanian energy business implements unique technology at substations.

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An innovative and unique approach to fire prevention is being implemented at TasNetworks substations.

The Substations Team within the Engineering and Design Group has helped design and implement hypoxic air technology and purging systems at TasNetworks substations.

A 2013 Fire Management Strategy identified that the loss of a substation control room could result in millions of dollars’ worth of damage to equipment, long periods without power for customers and significant human resource costs to restore supply, plus other inconveniences, expenses and liabilities.

Typical fire suppression systems using water or gas do not prevent fires from starting and are typically costly to maintain and clean up.

Taking the old adage that prevention is better than cure, the team challenged the status quo and went looking for a solution, deciding to trial the hypoxic technology.

Hypoxic technology is used in Europe in museums and major data and food storage centres but hasn’t been used at an electrical

substation. There is only one other system used in Australia, in the electrical room at Sydney Adventist Hospital.

The hypoxic system works on the principles of the fire triangle – remove one element (heat, fuel, or oxygen) and a fire cannot occur.

“We identified a new type of fire prevention technology which works by reducing the normal oxygen level in the room to a point where a fire cannot start,” Substation Engineer David Kruijver said.

“Hypoxic systems provide a significant reduction in risk to the business without being subject to mandatory inspections required for other fire systems and therefore incur little ongoing expenditure.”

Athletes have been using hypoxic air systems for endurance training for more than a decade (the AFL approved them in 2003) but the reduced oxygen level is defined as hazardous to humans by Tasmanian Workplace Health and Safety Regulations.

Risk management options on the table for reducing hypoxic air risk to personnel included increased site access procedures, medical checks and supplying PPE such as oxygenlevel detectors and breathing apparatus but a simpler solution was developed.

Above: TasNetworks Engineering and Design Group Leader Eddie Jager and Substation Engineer David Kruijver in front of an exhaust fan inside the substation

The TasNetworks team developed a rapid flushing fan system.

“To address this risk, a fresh air purging system, working in conjunction with the existing electronic substation security system, was designed to complement the hypoxic fire system and continue to allow personnel access to the control rooms,” David said.

Power companies on the mainland and in New Zealand are keeping a close eye on how TasNetworks implements both the hypoxic and purging technology, and David will be delivering papers on the ongoing project to a Cigre (International Council on Large Electric Systems) Colloquium in Nagoda, Japan in September. The theme of the conference is ‘Challenges for further reliable HV/MV substations and equipment in the future’.

Above: The engine system used to pump hypoxic air into the substation

TasNetworks engineers have been hard at work adapting the hypoxic and purging technology, trialling it at Chapel Street, identifying areas for improvement, before installing it successfully at Liapootah last November before planned installations at the Lindisfarne and Creek Road substations in early 2015. Further sites are also being considered.

Above: TasNetworks Engineering and Design Group Leader Eddie Jager and Substation Engineer David Kruijver at TasNetworks’ Liapootah substation Page 4 - Australian Power & Energy News

Above: The exterior of TasNetworks’ Liapootah substation

Above: Substation Engineer David Kruijver uses an access fob to enter the Liapootah substation

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Please see our editorial coverage on page 8 Australian Power & Energy News - Page 5

TasNetworks innovation extinguishes fire risk

ARA FirePASS – Preventing Fire and Protecting Critical Assets smouldering combustion from cable faults, for example, is reported in its incipient stages.

ARA Fire is proud to provide fire protection services to TasNetworks at their sub station in Lindisfarne, Tasmania.

Sealing the rooms The key factor relating to running costs of a FirePASS installation (energy consumption and maintenance) is the leakage. This is the sum of permanent leakage of the protected area and the temporary leakage created by door openings. Investing in improving the sealing of the protected areas will have a direct impact on running costs, as they are directly proportional to the leakage rate achieved. Typically, the payback for such improvements is less than one year.

ARA Fire’s involvement with the project includes supply, fit-out and commissioning of a FirePASS FP-1500 oxygen reduction fire prevention system in the switch room at the Lindisfarne sub station.

The FirePASS FP-1500 is covering an area of approximately 500 cubic metres. The unit includes a flushing system that changes the hypoxic environment to a normal oxygen environment prior to personnel entering the switch room. When personnel vacate the room, the system reverts to a hypoxic environment within two hours.

Maintenance The highly reliable hypoxic air generators require very little upkeep and can operate for decades with proper maintenance. A maintenance cycle of six months is typical.

Regular inspections are recommended to ensure a fire preventative atmosphere is maintained.

How does FirePASS work?

FirePASS uses a technology that produces oxygen-reduced (hypoxic) air by partly filtering out oxygen from ambient atmospheric air. Normal atmosphere contains 21% oxygen.

The hypoxic air injected into a protected space is 15% oxygen and 84% nitrogen (1% is made up of argon, carbon dioxide and other gases). A fire cannot start in this environment. Common flammable solid materials and liquids cannot be ignited with an oxygen level below 16%.

FirePASS works by taking oxygen out of the air as opposed to other systems that inject pure nitrogen into the area to be protected.

First Oxygen Reduction Fire Prevention System in Australia In June 2013, ARA Fire carried out the first oxygen reduction fire prevention installation in Australia at the Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAH), NSW’s largest single campus private hospital. A FirePASS FP-500 system is protecting several rooms at the SAH, including the power factor correction room and the hospital’s main switch room that feeds the operating theatres; a volume of approximately 500 cubic metres.

A few months after the system was installed, FirePASS prevented a fire starting when a fault occurred in one of the power factor correction units.

Bernard Jakovac, Director of Engineering Services at the SAH, said “the hospital is very pleased with the FirePASS system and we think it is a great solution for the environment it is protecting. Our insurers are also very keen on the system and we are considering FirePASS for other high-risk areas across the large campus. We believe the FirePASS system is a wonderful product and a great innovation in fire prevention”.

How is FirePASS safe for people and the environment?

FirePASS hypoxic environments are precisely controlled and monitored. FirePASS uses ambient air to produce breathable air for fire prevention; no chemicals or gases are involved.

The FirePASS agent is simply oxygen-reduced (hypoxic) air.

At sea level 15% oxygen content is equivalent, in terms of human physiology, to normal atmospheric air at an elevation of around 2,700 metres (9,000 feet) above sea

Above: FirePASS system configuration Page 6 - Australian Power & Energy News

Above: FirePASS FP-500 oxygen reduction fire prevention system level or being on a commercial flight. Millions of people around the world live at altitudes equivalent to exposure at or below 15% oxygen concentration at sea level.

There has been extensive medical research in the UK, Europe and Australia to support the safety of working in a hypoxic environment of oxygen at 16% and below.

An independent review on working in hypoxic conditions was carried out by thoracic specialist Professor Matthew Peters, President of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand.

Professor Peters produced a report and a checklist of considerations for anyone working in or visiting a hypoxic environment. A copy of Professor Peters’ report and checklist can be found at www.arafirepass.com.au.

World’s First Carbon Neutral Fire Prevention System The latest FirePASS product is the FirePASS SCU3x, a self-contained oxygen-reduction system that offers the world’s first carbon neutral fire prevention system. Built around environmental sustainability, the FirePASS SCU3x is fully equipped with a selfcontained generator powered by solar energy, three compressors, air quality and moisture management, automatic heating and a touch screen control panel.

The unit provides energy savings by automatically switching on and off when the defined oxygen level is reached. This system is typically used for protecting small areas such as server rooms, archives and similar, with volumes of up to 300 cubic metres.

What environments are suitable for a FirePASS system?

FirePASS systems are best suited where fire prevention and uninterrupted operation is essential: - Electrical switch rooms - Control rooms - Power factor correction rooms

- Hazardous materials storage - Warehouses - Food storage areas / deep freeze / cold storage rooms - Data centres - Records storage centres - Archive rooms - Server rooms - Telecommunication rooms - Libraries - Museums FirePASS systems can be implemented as an alternative, but also as a complementary or supplementary option that enhances conventional fire-safety means without interfering with their performance.

How does FirePASS protect irreplaceable goods?

Irreplaceable items such as documents, rare archives, historic artefacts and museum exhibits can be destroyed or damaged by fire, water, smoke and chemicals. Due to the reduced oxygen content of the hypoxic air produced, FirePASS not only prevents the outbreak of fire, avoiding any collateral damage by extinguishing agents, it also slows oxidation and reduces deterioration of irreplaceable items.

Installing a FirePASS system FirePASS systems come readily mounted and tested. Once on site, FirePASS is connected to the room sensors and to the power supply.

The system is then connected to the rooms via the installed tubing. The by-product oxygenenriched air is vented outside.

FirePASS systems do not require rigid piping within the protected spaces. The only requirement is simple, minimal pressure piping to each protected area and to the ambient air, along with wiring of the oxygen monitoring units in the protected areas.

It is recommended that protected areas be equipped with highly sensitive smoke detectors such as VESDA or equivalent to ensure any

Benefits of A FirePASS system • Certainty of avoiding the outbreak and spread of fire • Continuous fire prevention without interruption; no refilling or replacement required • Environmentally friendly – no chemicals used • Designed, engineered and manufactured to customer requirements and specifications • Very small footprint and little building space required • Easily installed into existing premises as well as newly built spaces.

• Minimal maintenance • Retaining access to protected areas at any time • Scalable to fit any sized area, large or small • Slows oxidation and reduces deterioration of documents, materials, equipment and artefacts.

Countries where oxygen reduction fire prevention systems are installed: • • • • • • • • • •

Australia Brazil Dubai Norway Oman Portugal Russia Singapore Sweden Switzerland

• USA FirePASS provides unmatched fire safety and achieve the ultimate goal in fire protection - fire prevention.

For further information, contact Martin McGettrick, General Manager Special Hazards, ARA Fire: Mob: +61 425 357 422 info@arafirepass.com.au www.arafirepass.com.au

Above: Ambient air environment compared to oxygen-reduced environment

Australian Power & Energy News - Page 7

TasNetworks innovation extinguishes fire risk

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Page 8 - Australian Power & Energy News

TransGrid welcomes new apprentices T

ransGrid has welcomed the addition of seven new apprentices in its 2015 intake.

TransGrid’s apprenticeship intake attracted expressions of interest from a high calibre of candidates across NSW. In the first week of the job, the new apprentices attended an induction session at the NSW high voltage transmission network operator’s Western Sydney office, the first step in their training at TransGrid.

“TransGrid’s apprenticeship program provides grounding for our apprentices to develop a broad range of technical skills so they can become leaders in their field,” said Glen Davis, TransGrid’s Apprentice Coordinator.

“Our apprentices will spend the next four years learning new skills and acquiring the knowledge both on the job and at TAFE, to assist them in becoming qualified tradespeople.”

“They will get to work on many different projects within their groups alongside experts in their field,” Mr Davis added.

Joining the team as an electrical fitter, Kelly Hodgins from Orange has found her experience rewarding and enjoyable.

“I’ve very much enjoyed my time with TransGrid so far. It has only been two months but I’ve learned a lot and the work is really interesting,” Miss Hodgins said.

“I’ve learned a lot and the work is really interesting. Every day is different, so it keeps me on my toes and I’m always seeing new things.”

“I enjoy the people the most – they all have a lot of knowledge and stories, and just the right amount of spark,” Ms Hodgins added.

TransGrid currently employs 44 apprentices as transmission line workers and electrical fitters across the state.

Above: (left to right): Apprentices Zachariah Wilson, Patrick Donaldson, Daniel King, Thomas Roche, Christopher Wattan, Kelly Hodgins, Jake Clayton and Apprentice Coordinator, Glen Davis

Chadstone campus leads industry with flexible, innovative training

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EDERATION Training’s Chadstone Campus is leading the way in providing education and training for the energy distribution and telecommunications industries, with over 40 years’ experience.

Working closely with industry partners forms a major part of the organisation’s operations.

Energy distribution training provided by Federation Training is of the highest quality and complies with asset development and maintenance standards in Australia.

Some of Federation Training’s major training alliances include: Citipower / Powercor, SP Ausnet, Tenix, Zintra Group, United Energy, Jemena and Kinetic Power Services.

According to Business Partnerships Consultant, Maxine de Graaff, quality training outcomes are achieved through a blended framework of theoretical, flexible and practical delivery.

“Our Chadstone Campus incorporates authentic simulation environments designed to provide learners with scenario driven hands on activities. The facility is designed to meet the

current and emerging demands of the electricity supply industry, gas and telecommunication sectors,” she said.

The campus comprises a high voltage work area with live pole farm, outdoor work environment, live traffic management facilities, confined space training replica as well as an operational elevated work platform.

“A custom developed indoor observation deck has been constructed at actual power pole height to provide a competency based training and assessment environment that is realistic, controlled and managed by experienced facilitators,” said Ms de Graaff.

“We recognise the importance of utilities asset preservation and safety compliance. In response we provide industry professionals the opportunity to cross skill. Our experience in the transfer of skills across the utilities sectors stands us uniquely apart, and supports our clients in reducing risk and gaining the edge in a competitive environment.”

The campus offers a full range of short courses specific to electrical utilities. For further information visit www.federationtraining.edu.au or phone 1300 133 717

Looking for quality industry training?

Federation Training have offered high quality training to industry for over 40 years.

The Chadstone Campus provides a range of qualifications and short courses in industries including: Ŕ Energy Ŕ Telecommunications

Ŕ Gas Ŕ Health and Safety

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) services are also available.

For more information call 1300 133 717 or visit our website.

1300 133 717 federation training.edu.au National Provider No: 0417

Australian Power & Energy News - Page 9

The Station that powered Canberra - the spiritual birthplace of ActewAGL Long before trendy bars, boutique restaurants and high rise apartments lined the sprawling Kingston Foreshore, lived a small community which powered the Canberra we know today. Pleasures were simple and entertainment cheap. Afternoon fun for countless Causeway children was to pop over to Kingston Power Station cottage number 2, pick up a generous serve of jam on bread before knocking up a canoe out of old corrugated iron and hightailing it down what was the Causeway Creek.

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ARRALUMLA RESIDENT Alan Kelly was one of these Causeway kids who grew up with his 15 siblings in Power Station cottage number 2 during the early 1940s.

“They had the river down there which was great,” Mr Kelly recalled. “We didn’t have toys or anything like that. You had the willow trees and you would climb to the top of them and we had a swing. They [children] would just go down the side of our house, get a canoe and head out to the river. It was amazing there were no incidents or anything, a lot of us couldn’t swim you see.”

Mr Kelly’s father was a “Fireman” at the Power Station which saw him shovel coal into a furnace which turned into electricity to power our city. Staff who worked shifts included an engineer, leading fireman, greaser, coal conveyer attendant, ashman, cleaner and labourers.

“They used to have a good scrub up before they came home,” Mr Kelly said. “But you know, the floor and everything was covered in soot. There was nowhere for it to go.”

Political icon King O’Malley championed the idea of the Kingston Power Station declaring electricity should be the chief energy source for the city. The Chief Engineer and General Manager of the Melbourne Electric Supply Company E.W.Clements recommended a power station and distribution network suitable for a city of 25,000, despite just 1,000 people living in Canberra at the time.

Civil engineer Percy Owen decided the coal fired station was to be built on an eight-hectare site on the southern bank of the Molonglo River at Eastlake, now known as Kingston.

Construction of the Power Station began in October 1912. Initially, those involved in constructing the Power Station, and their families lived in tents and humpies close to the site.

The Power Station was commissioned on 2 July 1915 and was the first permanent building constructed in Canberra. It generated and transmitted electricity at 5,500 volts.

Electricity was supplied to Duntroon and Acton by transmission and distribution lines and the first streetlights were created at Acton in the vicinity of Lennox House.

Mr Kelly reflected on how the Power Station would have been constructed in those early days and how it stood out in the developing Canberra landscape.

“It would have been bloody hot carrying bricks with a hod,” the 83 year old said. “It was boot shaped, wooden and with a pole in the middle. You put 12 bricks on it, put it on your shoulder and walked up two flights on a ladder.”

“When I lived at the Causeway and I went past that Power Station I thought it was marvellous,” he said. “That’s because it was brick you know, it represented something really solid. The design of the roof and the red tiles stood out.”

Long-time Canberra residents Alan Kelly and his wife Sylvia both grew up near the Kingston Power Station.

One of the unmistakable sounds that defined the infant city was the first whistle which was installed at the power station in 1924. The whistle could be heard far and wide and was used to mark the divisions of the workday. It sounded at 7.30am, 12.00noon, 12.42pm and 4.12pm.

“The sound, well it wasn’t ear piercing or anything,” Mr Kelly said. “But gee whiz it had plenty of volume in it. You could hear it all over bloody Canberra. You’d hear it because

there was nothing else [to compete]. I used to work in O’Connor. My first job was out in the paddock in Macarthur Avenue and you could hear it.”

Around the Power Station a real sense of community and industry developed.

“From the Power Station to the railway was every imaginable workshop,” Mr Kelly said. “There was an office furniture repairer, a joiner’s shop, the sawmill, blacksmith and the people who used to paint signs for the Continued next page

Kingston Power Station 1951

Canberra Glassworks 2010

Department of Capital Territory albums “Pictorial Record of Canberra 1951-1953” Volume 1, page 27, ACT Heritage Library.

Warren Langley; Touching Lightly, 2010; Glass, Steel, Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs); Canberra Glassworks, Kingston; Photographer: Lannon Harley.

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The Station that powered Canberra - the spiritual birthplace of ActewAGL Continued from previous page

road. There were all these corrugated sheds for the fire brigade and a weatherboard for the ambulance station.”

Mr Kelly recalled that those who worked at the Power Station and around the Causeway were family people who displayed great generosity.

“There were 134 houses in the Causeway and there was not one that wouldn’t do something for you and you would do something for them,”

he said. “There was an old lady opposite who’d you borrow milk and sugar from. And if you went to her place and she didn’t have milk, you’d be told to keep going until you got it.”

The unreliability of power supply from New South Wales meant there was a need to maintain the Kingston Power Station regularly until 1955 before the steam plant ceased on 26 January 1959.

Today, the Kingston Power Station is one of the few icons that remain, including the famous

Staff at Kingston Powerhouse in the 1920s. smokestack which has a special place in the heart of Mr Kelly.

“Well that smokestack, that’s got a lot of memories for me,” Mr Kelly smiled. “My wife Sylvia used to also live at the Causeway when we were courting and we were at the Power Station then. We’ve been together since we were 12 or 13. On a winter’s night, the smokestack was only 60 metres from my bed but I often couldn’t make it from the stack to bed. It was too bloody cold! I used to stand

Part of the workshop area at Kingston.

there for a couple of hours to keep warm and we’d stand there too long and be late to school.”

So, next time you grab a coffee at the Kingston Foreshore, or check out the Canberra Glassworks, take a moment to reflect on this historical Power Station. It’s the spiritual birthplace of ActewAGL, where our proudly local organisation began 100 years ago.

For more stories about ActewAGL’s 100 years of local energy visit actewagl.com. au/100years.

Weber South Pacific are proud to be associated with ActewAGL and congratulates the organisation on its centenary.

Weber South Pacific has developed an electrically protected supply point as an in-ground installation.

• unobtrusive • trafficable up to Class E (AS3996) • operationally accessible • safe for the public domain • air tight environment providing protection during flood events

BEFORE Weber South Pacific Pty Ltd ABN 83 011 010 781

INSTALLATION

AFTER

18 McKechnie Drive, Brisbane Technology Park Eight Mile Plains, QLD

+61 (7) 3841 6899 www.webersouthpacific.com.au Australian Power & Energy News - Page 11

Aussie Poles Provide a Lasting Impression

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T’s a tough country out there and Australia has always been a land of extremes as far as our weather is concerned. In fairness, the traditional timber utility pole has for the most part, served us well but there is a much smarter way to ensure that electricity gets to where it’s needed.

A.C. Whalan Composites Pty Ltd has been proving how much smarter its composite poles are for the last few years and it’s not difficult to see why they are rapidly becoming the preferred option in the delivery of power. ActewAGL and Essential Energy are two energy providers who have already seen the light, signing extensive contracts with A.C. Whalan for its composite utility poles.

Environmentally proactive, ActewAGL services the Canberra region and the company is extremely conscious of the role it can play in reducing its own foot print related to the distribution of electricity to its customers and this award winning company’s choice to use A.C. Whalan’s composite poles makes perfect sense.

For starters, they look better and last longer.

However, behind those slender good looks and a longer, more productive life is a much bigger story. It’s about good old Australian initiative and yet again another example of how a hardworking independent family business has stuck its neck out, done its homework and produced a composite utility pole that ticks all the right boxes.

It’s not surprising that A.C Whalan Composites has succeeded in developing an Australian utility pole made to comply and withstand Australian conditions. The company didn’t just take a shot in the dark, it began the design process by consulting extensively with Australian utility providers who clearly understand the rigours faced by such structures.

During those comprehensive discussions the team from A.C. Whalan covered a multitude of logistical requirements including, climatic conditions faced, the types of terrain

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encountered, the physical pressures endured in transmission structures and the various pole lengths required by the power and energy sector. The end result is a utility pole that, not only conforms to the needs of the energy sector, but one that has been developed to withstand Australia’s tough and diverse environmental conditions.

Unlike imported products, this one hundred percent, home grown utility pole has been tried, tested and proven in the types of conditions that can only be experienced when confronted

by Australia’s unique and at times, challenging climate and landscape.

For instance in this sunburnt country we know a lot about lightning strikes and bushfires.

Those two tormentors have always plagued this land but, as the suburbs spread out to places they’ve never been before, how we build structures becomes far more critical.

Fire resistant materials are a big plus in the frontline defence against a raging bushfire and a non-conductive structure is the preferred option when it stands between the earth and a bolt of lightning that’s about to strike.

Unlike old fashioned timber, A.C. Whalan’s composite poles are constructed from fire retardant laminates and the company put that feature to the test with a simulated bushfire attack, producing a large flaming source to do its best on the composite pole but to no avail.

Further challenges were met when Californian brush fire tests were conducted along with all required fire resistant tests in accordance with Australian Standards (AS) 1530.8.2. The results proved that A.C. Whalan’s composite poles are made of the right stuff when facing the challenges of Australia’s bushfire prone environment.

As for lightning? No worries, A.C. Whalan’s composite poles are inert and non-conductive, a system which was successfully proven to be the case having undergone extensive testing at Ergon Energy’s dedicated testing facility.

The range of tests included Leakage Current Lightning Impulse and 50Hz Flashover. The results of all the tests confirmed the superb

quality of the composite pole and throughout the process the structural integrity of the pole remained unaffected. The results of the Ergon Energy tests are available from A.C. Whalan on request.

Corrosion is a by-product of our climate and Australia also has more than its fair share of termites. As we know they like their tucker particularly the wooden kind. Fortunately, and in the interests of keeping the power flowing, Aussie termites don’t like A.C. Whalan’s composite pole at all and for those indulgent creatures it’s a big turn off. That’s because the composite pole doesn’t suit their tastes and its ingredients include Vinyl Ester Resin, so it’s resistant to caustic alkalis and hypochlorite bleaching chemicals which also eliminates the potential for corrosion.

As for heat waves and high temperatures, the overall composition of the poles withstand those detrimental climatic influences. A.C. Whalan’s composite poles are environmentally friendly and there are no toxic preservatives used in the manufacturing process to leach out into the soil or ground water when the pole is installed.

Perhaps one of the most important benefits in a variable economic climate where money can be too tight to mention is that the dollars matter.

Every dollar spent, particularly in the power and energy sector where poles and wires are critical, must achieve a greater return than the initial investment. This is where A.C. Whalan’s composite poles really stand tall with a much longer life expectancy than your average timber pole and they are extremely cost effective.

The composite poles are manufactured from epoxy vinyl ester resins with UV Stabilisers added to the outside barrier of the pole. This is important as the use of UV Stabilisers preserves the life of the poles way beyond the life expectancy of traditional timber poles. The A.C. Whalan composite poles based on US and European manufacturing data and related studies have a life expectancy of around 70 to 80 years.

A.C. Whalan’s composite poles are manufactured in a cylindrical taper shape similar to the timber pole so they are compatible with all current associated hardware such as

cross arms and bolt-on foot pegs. It means that timber pole networks can be gradually replaced by the composite pole over a period of time as existing fitments can be attached using similar methods as used for the traditional timber pole.

As for installation itself, the composite pole is much easier to handle being on average around 40% lighter than the equivalent rated timber pole. The erection methodology is very similar to the timber pole but due to its lightweight construction, where access is restricted or difficult due to the terrain, the composite pole is a much easier proposition.

Furthermore, smaller plant and equipment can be used in the installation process which leaves a much reduced work site footprint and reduces the impact on surrounding public areas.

The ease of handling and installation minimises traffic disruption with less requirement for lengthy road or lane closures.

Due to its lighter weight, transport to the site is also far more cost effective and the composite poles can be stored and handled in much the same way as timber poles, other than the use of nylon straps to protect the surface of the pole instead of the traditional chains and dogs.

From its NSW base at Mt Thorley, A.C. Whalan, with its strong focus on providing solutions for its clients, are manufacturing composite utility poles in various configurations using the filament winding process. The poles can be made as a 12.5 metre one piece or as a two piece to provide a variety of lengths for 9.5 metres up to a 28 metre configuration.

The production process provides a textured surface finish in grey but the poles can be coloured to suit the client’s requests.

A.C. Whalan Composites is an ISO 9001 accredited manufacturer and quality control is assured. The company uses state of the art Filament Winding machines with Siemens controllers in combination with CADWIND and with such finite accuracy A.C. Whalan can guarantee the quality and consistency of every pole produced in accordance with AS/NZZS 4676.2000 Structural Design Requirements for utility service poles.

For more information about A.C. Whalan Composites visit; www.acwcomposites.com.au or call Ben Whalan on 0417 746 811

N EW G E N E RATI O N O F AU STRALIAN MAD E UTI LITY P O LE S

AC Whalan congratulates

ActewAGL on 100 years of local energy

The Advantages of the Composite Pole System Lightweight The composite pole is on average 40% lighter than the equivalent rated timber pole.

Corrosion & Termite Resistant The composite pole is constructed from Vinyl Ester Resin giving it resistance to Caustic Alkalis, Hypochlorite Bleaching Chemicals and high temperatures and termites.

Cost Efficient Installation The composite pole is installed in similar fashion to the timber pole, however, being lighter it is more cost effective to install in those applications with access restrictions.

Non-Conductive System The composite pole is inert and the structure is non-conductive. Our poles have successfully undergone testing at Ergon Energy results are available upon request.

Fire Resistant The poles are constructed from fire retardant laminates.

We have conducted tests in accordance to AS 1530.8.2

Simulated bushfire attack â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Large flaming source, along with Californian brush fire tests.

Hardware & Fitment The Composite poles are manufactured in a cylindrical taper shape similar to the timber pole. This means that all current hardware such as cross arms & bolt on foot pegs and their fitment to the pole will be done the same way or using a similar method.

Transport & Storage Composite poles can be transported, stored & handled in the same way timber poles are, with consideration taken to protect the surface of the pole. This simply means nylon straps in place of chains & dogs. Because the composite poles are lighter in weight, transport costs become more efficient.

Life Expectancy Composite poles based on US & European manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; data & studies have a life expectancy of 70-80 years. Combined with the other advantages of fire, corrosion, termite, rot resistance & lower transportation cost, the composite poles installed cost becomes extremely competitive.

A. C Whalan Composites Pty Ltd Lot 101 Maskey Road, Mt Thorley NSW 2330 Mobile: 0417 746 811 | Phone: +61 2 6574 6012 | Fax: +61 2 6574 6422 Email: composites@acwhalan.com.au www.acwcomposites.com.au Australian Power & Energy News - Page 13

Zinfra deliver for ActewAGL in Hume, ACT

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EEDING to deliver approximately 30,000 scmh into the gas distribution networks in the projected growth areas in the Australian Capital Territory and in Queanbeyan over the next 20 years, ActewAGL contracted Zinfra to construct a new five kilometre primary main and a new Primary Regulating Station (PRS) at Hume.

These new facilities will ultimately supply natural gas to approximately 25,000 customers, as well as provide long-term capacity for prospective large consumers, and longterm supply into the Hume-Tuggeranong Interconnection supplying the southern ACT. The Hume Primary Main Extension (PME) project involved the design, construction and commissioning of five kilometres of DN250 steel high-pressure primary gas pipeline, operating to 6.895MPa, and built and constructed to AS2885.

This new pipeline connects the existing primary network to the new Hume PRS, a separate project delivered by Zinfra and completed in February 2015, and was tied-in to the existing network in three places.

The Hume PME project also required installation of 0.2 kilometres of DN250 steel high-pressure secondary gas pipeline to connect the Hume PRS to the existing secondary network and associated infrastructure supplying the district of Jerrabomberra.

Construction of the pipeline included: • Open cut construction • In-service welding to live gas main • A hot-tap • Two major water crossings, and • Four cased bores.

A hot-tap was required to connect the pipeline to the existing primary main at Jerrabomberra Package Off-Take Station (POTS). To maintain the ability to pig the existing primary main, a hot tap fitting was specially designed with a spherical tee and guide bars.

Pigging pipework was also constructed at either end of the pipeline to allow pig launching facilities to be connected to inspect the integrity of the pipeline.

There were numerous challenges and complexities to the project:

• Development Application (DA) approval - original design included the removal of many trees that was not approved during the DAprocess. The solution, achieved through rigorous negotiation with ACT government agencies, was to relocate the final two kilometres within private land.

Above: Zinfra undertakes case boring as part of the Hume Mains Extension project

• Existing services - multiple existing services, including those for a nearby correctional facility, were at risk when trenching.

Extensive investigation and stakeholder management, including AC mitigation, surveys, collection of DBYD and private land owner information, and non-destructive

pot-holing, meant there were no service strikes throughout the project.

• Proximity to the Monaro Highway traffic control, including some lane closure at stipulated times, was required throughout the project. Zinfra had to carefully manage time and resourcing to ensure the project remained on schedule.

• Subterranean rock - completing the Monaro Highway crossing was complex, with rock slowing drilling to as little as six metres a day.

The project was completed on time and under budget. Excellent site safety supervision, and a strong culture of safety within Zinfra, meant the project was completed with no LTI or MTIs.

Tenacious Stephen got the job

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S part of this year’s celebrations to commemorate 100 years since the commissioning of the Kingston Powerhouse, Connected will feature a profile on one of ActewAGL’s longest serving employees each month. This month, we sat down with Metering, Servicing and Streetlighting Manager, Stephen Mudford.

If there’s one word to describe Stephen Mudford’s beginning with ACTEA (now ActewAGL) it’s tenacious. After growing up in Tumut, a 17-year old Stephen was visiting his sister in Canberra for the Christmas of 1979 when he fell in love with the city. He’s been here ever since.

Stephen said “To me, Canberra’s just a big country town. And so after that Christmas, I went home and said to my parents “I’m moving out. I’m going to move to Canberra” and within a week, I’d moved over to Canberra and moved in with my sister and brother-in-law, who was a linesman at ACTEA. “I started coming in to work with him and just putting my name down, trying to catch up with his supervisors. For three weeks, I kept coming in and annoying Terry Collins, who was acting supervisor at the time. When the manager Tony Slenkovich came back from holidays in the fourth week Terry said “this is the young bloke that’s been coming and annoying me for the last three and a half weeks.” Then Tony looked at me, asked who I knew and said “No worries – can you start on Monday?” And that’s how it was done back then. So I started at ACTEA on 23 June 1980.”

And while the ride has been one with many highs and lows Stephen is proud to have represented ActewAGL for 35 years.

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“I’ve worked with some real characters and wonderful people over the years. And what I’ve always found is that when the tough gets going, the tough people get going. I often reflect and appreciate what I’ve got here.”

Above: The Kingston Powerhouse

Above: Part of the workshop area at Kingston Powerhouse

100 YEARS OF LOCAL ENERGY. CONGRATULATIONS ACTEWAGL! We are proud to have delivered key projects for ActewAGL including the East Lake Substation, Hume Primary Regulating Station and Mains Extension, along with routine operations and maintenance works.

Zinfra Group is committed to building the reputation of the clients we work for.

WWW.ZINFRAGROUP.COM.AU

Australian Power & Energy News - Page 15

Growing Canberra on paper – how ActewAGL developed over 100 years It was September 1967. Canberra residents used to walk into the old ACT Electricity Authority (ACTEA) office on West Row to pay their electricity bills. Friendly conversations filled the store as customers waited patiently for their payment to be processed - without the assistance of a computer.

Nor did those in the queue have the option of burying their heads in a level of Angry Birds or updating their Instagram page. Face to face conversation was the technology of the day.

Right: Noelene joined Canberra’s energy utility in 1967.

Below: ActewAGL’s current Street Lights Administrator Noelen Coulon has worked for the organisation for 48 years.

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AR OFF IN the background behind the cashier was one of ActewAGL’s ne ACTEA’s new recruits. 16 year old Noelene Coulon had responded to an advert in The Canberra Times for a filing clerk. She didn’t apply for the job, just went in and proved she was old enough to work.

“I was down in accounts and there was a big area out the front where people came in and paid their electricity bills,” Noelene said. “That was the only way you could pay your electricity bill. You had to physically come in and pay your account or you could send in a cheque.

There was none of this technology of today.”

Paying your bill was not the only facet which had a more manual process by today’s standards.

“When I was the filing clerk I used the embossing machine as well,” Noelene reflected.

“It was a square metal plate which had a little ball on it with the alphabet and you would just turn it to the letter you needed and press it down. When someone applied for power you would use this plate to put their name on it [the bill], the address of where they were moving to and you’d have to make a meter card for the meter readers.”

Noelene had plenty of opportunities to learn developing technologies over the years, especially during those early days.

“After 12 months on the job you were automatically upgraded to another position and I became the calculations clerk. [in 1968],” she said. “There were two of us doing all the calculations for every electricity bill in Canberra. I’d calculate it on the meter cards and it would go into the machine room and the girls would tap in all out onto the bill.”

In 1969 Noelene moved to Electricity House in London Circuit, the new home of ACTEA. Noelene first worked on a cardveyor machine before a position as a relief clerk led to a job in inspections.

“I did 30 years with them in that area,” she said. “It was called inspections and we would help get power onto new homes and units.

We’d get a lot of builders and contractors needing the power installed.”

But it wasn’t all work and no fun. Noelene said she has plenty of fond memories looking back at some memorable social occasions.

“In the early days we used to have so many functions for work,” she recalled. “We had a winter cabaret and a summer cabaret. We had cruises on the lake and there were parties on the tenth floor of Electricity House.”

As the late 70s and early 80s rolled on, Noelene had to adjust to arguably the biggest technology change yet - the computer was formally introduced into the workplace.

“When I came back from maternity leave in 1982, I had to learn the computer because the computer took over my job,” she said. “Even in inspections, everything was hand written before then. We had logs we’d have to write.”

While new technologies have provided many

The data processing section early 1972, before computers were introduced into the workplace.

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benefits, Noelene is proud that in her own way she’s assisted Canberra’s development.

“I have built Canberra on paper you know,” she said. “I have seen all these new suburbs shoot up around me and I know it’s me that has done that. I haven’t physically built it myself but I have with the paperwork. I do remember when I started, Aranda was just opening up.

There wasn’t much to Canberra in those days.”

While Noelene has always enjoying her job, it hasn’t been without its challenges especially during the 2003 bushfires.

“During the 2003 bushfires I was on the front counter and people came in to apply for power because they’d been relocated after losing their

Electricity House on completion in 1969.

properties,” she said. “An elderly gentleman came in and was applying for power. He had lost everything, it was heartbreaking. I had quite a few people come in during the bushfires and I would just sit there and talk with them.”

Forty-eight years on Noelene can be found at ActewAGL’s Greenway depot. Not many people can boast they have remained loyal to the same organisation for almost half a century - but ActewAGL‘s current Street Lights Administrator can.

“All these years, it’s been a very good place to work,” she said. “They’ve treated me very well otherwise I wouldn’t have stayed so long.

I can see what I’ve done within ActewAGL on paper and how big it has grown.”

For much of her career Noelene worked in a male dominated environment, but that’s never really bothered her.

“I was always respected,” she said. “I didn’t feel or notice anything different. I do prefer to work with men. People don’t believe that a woman could be in a place for such a long time.

I’m not a person that likes to move around.

I like to be stable and that includes where I work.”

Noelene appreciates the warm and friendly environment ActewAGL offers. This was particularly apparent during the 2003 bushfires when Noelene received several emails daily checking to see if she was ok.

“They do care about you,” she said. “As CEO Michael Costello says, we’re a family. And that was apparent during the fires. I just like helping the general public,” she said. “I like working, I like the people and coming to work and having companionship here.”

For more stories about ActewAGL’s 100 years of local energy visit actewagl.com. au/100years.

Western Power delivers Australia’s biggest powerline project in 25 years W

ESTERN Power’s Mid West Energy Project, featuring the construction of one of Australia’s largest powerlines, was recently officially declared ready to be energised

by Treasurer and Energy Minister Dr Mike Nahan.

The new 330,000 volt transmission powerline transports electricity 190 kilometres from Perth to the Mid West.

Western Power’s chief executive officer Paul Italiano said the new powerline was the largest built in WA since the line to Kalgoorlie was constructed in the mid-1980s.

Above: Tower erection

“The Mid West Energy Project, which includes the construction of a 190 kilometre transmission line from Perth to the Mid West, a 70 kilometre line to power Karara’s iron ore mine and substantial upgrades to several substations is a substantial achievement in electrical engineering, planning, budgeting and construction,” Mr Italiano said.

“To deliver one of the State’s largest infrastructure projects under the $406 million budget set for the project is a significant achievement.

“The project required extensive consultation with land owners, environmental approvals, a new line route to be planned, the old 132kV wood pole powerline to be dismantled, and access tracks to be constructed, all before the 388 lattice steel towers and almost 2,900 kilometres of powerlines could be installed.

“The average height of the transmission towers is 58 metres, with the tallest reaching 70 metres. To put this into perspective, our 11 floor Wellington Street building is 59 metres tall.”

The average weight of each tower is 24 tonnes. Approximately 9,300 tonnes of steel was used – almost the same weight combined as the Eiffel Tower.

The new line provides a 500 megawatt increase in the capacity of the network in the Mid West, which will increase the potential for industry growth in the region, and provide the potential for the expansion of local industries and economies.

Importantly, it will facilitate the connection of renewable generation opportunities, particularly wind, and future gas-powered generation.

Above: Left to right: Paul Brown - MLC Member for the Agricultural Region, Paul Italiano – CEO Western Power, Dr Mike Nahan – Treasurer; Minister for Energy; Citizenship and Multicultural Interests, Shane Love – MLA Member for Moore

FACT FILE

Above: Crew member working on a tower with the line in the distance

Above: CFA piling

The transmission line formed the key component of the Mid West Energy Project which also required: • Dismantling a 132kV wood pole line between Pinjar and Eneabba • Incorporating a 70 kilometre transmission line from Eneabba to Three Springs to power Karara’s iron ore mine (the line was built by Karara and purchased by Western Power) • Connecting the two new transmission lines • Upgrading the existing Neerabup to Pinjar line from 132 kV to 330 kV • Constructing a new 330kV line circuit bay at Neerabup • Upgrading various 132kV substations on the line route to accommodate 330kV • Constructing a double circuit 132kV pole line from Three Springs Terminal to Three Springs Substation • Undergrounding approximately 30 sections of smaller lines beneath the new 330kV line • Undergrounding the existing double circuit 132kV line at the crossover with the new 330kV line north of Pinjar • Significant upgrades to the Western Power communications networks between Neerabup and Three Springs.

Above: Stringing at dusk Australian Power & Energy News - Page 17

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Australian Power & Energy News - Page 19

Improved power supply for Dairy Farmers TasNetworks Project Manager Peter Findlater, Circular Head Mayor Daryl Quillam and representatives from the Tasmanian and Australian governments recently unveiled the Harcus River Road Project.

TasNetworks will operate and maintain a 22 kV distribution line adjacent to Harcus River Road, from Marrawah to the Woolnorth dairy operation gates.

The distribution line will be approximately 23 km long and involved the installation of approximately 230 poles.

The project supports the local dairy industry by improving power supply between Marrawah and Woolnorth on the North West Coast.

Mr Findlater said there was increasing demand for more power and a reliable network to supply it as the dairy industry on the North West Coast continues to grow.

Above: State Member for Braddon Joan Rylah, Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff, Circular Head Major Daryl Quillam, Federal Braddon MP Brett Whiteley and TasNetworks Project Manager Peter Findlater on-site at Marrawah for the Harcus River Road project unveiling

Above: TasNetworks Project Manager Peter Findlater

He congratulated all those involved in the design and construction phases.

“TasNetworks is proud to have been able to deliver an upgraded and reliable power supply for a growing industry,” Mr Findlater said.

“Our team members worked alongside government and industry to get a great outcome for all.”

At its peak, the project had up to ten crews working out of Smithton to establish the line.

“Construction commenced in March and crews certainly experienced some challenging weather conditions over winter,” Mr Findlater said.

“It was very satisfying to flick the switch knowing that we had met our customers’ requirements.”

The total capital cost of the project was $1.25 million.

The project was supported through funding under the Tasmanian Forests Intergovernmental Agreement.

In partnership with the Tasmanian Government, the Australian Government is investing $120 million in Tasmania over 15 years to diversify the State economy.

Versalift – The right choice of EWP for all your access challenges

W

HEN it comes to the right Elevating Work Platform you can’t go past a Versalift.

Aerial Access Australia is the Australian distributor of the Versalift range of Elevating Work Platforms – the global leader in access solutions.

Our truck mounted EWP’s are renowned in the Utilities and Vegetation management industry for their ease of use – completing jobs that are too tough for other equipment.

What makes them so popular? Versatility, Precision, Safety, Productivity.

The unitrol single stick controller on fully hydraulic EWPs provides smooth, precise movement of the operator’s basket ensuring suitability for work requiring precise positioning such as live line work. Lift masts, material handlers and basket liners are all available for the VST models as is full radio remote control on all Versalift EWPs 13m and above as an optional extra. Introduction of 500mm bucket lifter on VST5000I (16.7m) and the VST6000I (19.8m) is now an option that allows the operator additional height when required.

The history of Versalift EWP’s in Australia has been exceptional in terms of reliability with a minimal requirement for spare parts and prompt availability when such parts are required. Some Versalift EWPs have been in

Page 20 - Australian Power & Energy News

operation for twenty years and parts are still available. In general, parts are not specific to a particular machine model, thus providing versatility.

The Versalift “Standard Build and Parts” program is a major contributor in achieving fast parts and service to our customers. The Versalift provides a competitive advantage when investing in capital equipment by offering quick manufactured lead times and on-going training and support service facility in your region to support your operations.

Design features of the Versalift EWPs include high tensile steel, filament wound high strength fibreglass booms, lower boom insulation inserts, full fibreglass rotating baskets, telescopic booms, minimal tail swing and single hand unitrol lever controls.

Aerial Access Australia’s equipment is a showcase of exceptional design, ease of use and the highest safety standards. Servicing the utilities and vegetation management industry for over 22 years we’re committed to supply and manufacture of durable quality products, backed by the dedication of experienced technical support staff and comprehensive spare parts and repair agents nationally.

For more information on Versalift EWP’s please contact Aerial Access Australia on 1300 654 591 or email enquiries@aerialaccess.com.au

TEN Hire - Our fleet, your projects T

EN Hire offers its customers access to the largest specialised cable hauling and stringing equipment fleet in Australia.

Our machinery range includes hydraulic cable pullers from 15kN to 50kN (skid and trailer mounted), brake units (tensioners), puller-tensioners from 25kN to 90kN, capstan winches, 3 drum winders and 3 drum braking units and self-loading cable trailers. TEN Hire also has a range of hydraulic cable pullers and tensioners with complete safety upgrades to meet mine specifications.

Our Condux CableGlider Cable Pullers offer portability and ease of set-up in a completely self-contained unit with all accessories to adapt for conduit or open trench applications.

It offers 28.9kN of pulling force at low speed and features a self-tailing capstan for added stability and safety.

The powerful 56 Tonne Hydraulic Pole Puller is a dual cylinder pole puller with a 600mm hydraulic stroke cylinder enabling fast and easy removal of utility poles up to 700mm in diameter. Ideal for extracting difficult poles typically where hydrovacs are called in to excavate material.

Our large and extensive range of associated equipment such as presses and pumps, stringing rollers, ropes and swivels allows you to hire all of the required equipment to complete your projects.

TEN Hire’s fleet is constantly evolving to meet our customers’ needs on large projects that demand reliability of equipment. We have two fully trained technicians that maintain our fleet and train operators who hire or purchase equipment.

TEN also offers leading operator training and competency verification to an AQTF standard.

Above: WirePilot 3 Drum Brake Trailer - Automated tension stringing speeds up the reconductoring process

Above: Highly versatile Condux CableGlider Cable Puller

Training can be facilitated by TEN Group at one of our national locations or on your site.

We offer market leading safety solutions and Comprehensive operational Risk Assessments on all Hire equipment.

Partnering with TEN hire allows you to conserve working capital and stretch project budgets and have the flexibility to scale up or down as your workload demands. Use the latest technologies and innovative stringing methods to drive productivity and profitability across your projects.

For more information on our fleet or to learn more about TEN’s offerings, give Ian ‘Scotty’ Scott a call on 0417 772 341.

Above: Ropes and Wheel Winders - Hire all of the required equipment to complete your projects from TEN Hire

Our Fleet, Your Projects.

HIRE NOW

the energy network

| Australian Power & Energy News - Page 21

Corona Inspection – Making the Invisible Visible!

W

E are all familiar with Infrared (IR) technology for detecting overheating of equipment. At the other end of the spectrum is ultraviolet (UV) which detects high voltage discharges, often referred to as “corona discharge”.

Both IR and UV are invisible and a purpose designed IR or UV camera is required to observe the effects.

UV Compliments IR Inspection Infrared and Ultraviolet inspection technologies are being used to assess the condition of operating electrical components and installations. Infrared thermography detects temperature changes and is proportional to the square of the current drawn. In the absence of current no heat develops, regardless of voltage.

Ultraviolet detects electrical discharges and is directly proportional to voltage and partial discharge, corona and arcing occurs whenever voltage is present, regardless of current.

Both technologies are complementary and are classified as NDT - Non Destructive Testing equipment. Together they cover a wider spectral range and provide enough information to obtain a clear assessment of the condition of electrical assets. As such, both technologies are required to perform comprehensive surveys.

Unlike IR which is affected by solar radiation and emissivity of the material, UV detection is effective under all lighting and weather conditions.

Corona Discharge on HV Assets Corona discharge is associated with high voltage equipment such as electrical transmission lines, transformer insulators and bushings, switchgear, motors and the like.

Corona can be a sign of a defect, contamination, malfunction or bad design of electrical equipment.

Being able to pinpoint corona discharge and address potential equipment failure is important and can guarantee the reliable operation of the electrical apparatus.

What is Corona Discharge?

Corona discharge is a luminous partial discharge from conductors and insulators due to ionization of the air, where the electrical field exceeds a critical value.

A high local electric field ionizes the air and causes a discharge. This process is accompanied by excitation of Nitrogen molecules, leading to emission of UV radiation. Build-up of ionization occurs only if electron is going fast enough, i.e. if electric field exceeds a critical value.

Corona discharge has the following damaging and environmental disturbing effects: • Generation of corrosive materials, like ozone and nitrogen oxides that yields nitric acid under conditions of high humidity.

These corrosive materials shorten the life span of high voltage lines and substations components.

• Corona causes damage to HV insulators, especially non-ceramic (NCI) insulators.

• Radio interference (RI/ RFI) mainly to AM transmissions.

• Audio noise. Radio interference and audio noise may raise customer complaints.

Corona inspections can direct maintenance engineers to the exact location of the failure, and cut sharply both direct inspection costs and indirect costs of unnecessary washing, replacements, unexpected shutdown thus extending parts lifetime, deferring aging processes.

Above: UV image - discharge visible but where is it coming from?

Above: Merged visible and UV image shows clearly where the problem is

Corona Detection on the Distribution Network Material degradation due to corona discharges influences the electrical and mechanical performance of the power grid. It has been proven that partial discharge processes induce loss of hydrophobicity, increase leakage currents lead to arcs and dry bands formation, tracking and erosion and eventually to flashover.

It is important to mention that under corona discharges alone the temperature would never reach the threshold of 200-300 °C required to initiate thermal degradation.

Electrical distribution systems need to meet customers’ demands for continuous energy supply taking into consideration peak loads.

Design, installation, operation and maintenance are the basic engineering considerations for a typical power system. Corona cameras are used to secure the ongoing smooth operation of these systems and assist utilities maintain high standard service.

Although corona activity is not prevalent on distribution systems arcing is often the cause of audio noise and radio interference complaints and can indicate a defective components. In particular, discharge detection can assist in preventing timber pole fires.

Detection over long Distances Unlike other forms of discharge detection, corona cameras can operative over large distances, typically from 0.5m to infinity. It is not necessary to be close to the discharge to detect it and all cameras have optical and digital zoom.

Above: Typical HV Discharges with an Ofil Corona Camera

Above: Ofil ROM Corona Camera for aerial surveillance

Compact Hand-Held Cameras Simple single hand operation: turn-on, aim, shoot & store video clips and still pictures. UV and visible images are merged to show the exact emitting source of the discharge.

All hand-held models have colour daylight visible LCD, zoom, GPS, temperature & humidity measurement and are weatherproof to IP54. Weight is between 1.4 and 2.2kg.

The Ofil DayCor Corona Cameras Pacific Test Equipment announces the range of Ofil DayCor Corona cameras. The range comprises three portable models plus three special models for mounting on vehicles, railway locomotives and helicopters.

Merging of UV and Visible Images To accurately determine the source of a discharge it is essential to be able to merge the visible image with the UV image. All Ofil cameras include image merge.

Thus a problem or defect in a component creating a local high electric field will show corona activity. Some molecules are not ionized but excited – emitting photons on relaxation.

Utilities are typically made aware of corona by complaints of faulty radio or television signals. Because corona are invisible in daylight with the naked eye, maintenance crews will investigate by aiming devices such a corona camera or radio antenna at suspected areas, and track corona.

Corona discharge generates negligible heat and therefore is not detected with thermal (IR) cameras.

Page 22 - Australian Power & Energy News

Above: Ofil UVolle Compact hand-held UV Camera

Above: Ofil Lumina Hand-held UV camera

PACIFIC TEST Equipment

Visible image - no discharge evident

Unit 27, 7 Anella Avenue, Castle Hill NSW 2154 Phone: +61 2 9659 2300 Email: sales@pacifictest.com.au www.pacifictest.com.au

Crews boost network capacity for future needs

M

ORE than 130 Essential Energy employees combined to complete a major project in Upper Crystal Creek recently, increasing network capacity and reliability for the rugged, rural area near the Queensland/New South Wales border.

In one of the largest programs of work for the region, nine substations were upgraded, new surge arrestors and network switching equipment installed, ageing high voltage and low voltage power poles and lines and crossarms replaced, and associated vegetation work undertaken.

Essential Energy’s North Coast regional manager, Brendon Neyland, said crews from Maclean, Kyogle, Casino, Ballina, Lismore and Ewingsdale had assisted local Murwillumbah and Tweed Heads teams with the project to minimise the inconvenience to customers and upgrade the network to meet future local power demands.

“The upgraded substations will boost supply into the area ensuring capacity is available for future growth, while the surge arrestors protect the network from power surges during storm season when lightning may strike the lines,” Brendon said.

Above: One of the powerlines recently upgraded

by Essential Energy crews at the rugged and scenic Upper Crystal Creek location

“The new switches also allow crews to segment the network, providing the ability to minimise the number of customers affected by future planned or fault and emergency work.”

Yadnarie to Ungarra route alignment identified for transmission line upgrade on Eyre Peninsula

I

N continuing works to secure the Eyre Peninsula’s electricity transmission supply, ElectraNet has identified a preferred alignment for the future upgrade of the transmission line between Yadnarie and Ungarra, which runs almost parallel to the existing transmission line, on its western side.

The identification of this southern section follows on from the commencement of easement option negotiations for the northern section between Cultana and Yadnarie last year.

Information was gathered through desktop research, technical field studies, direct engagement with landowners and the Eyre Peninsula community, as well as extensive ground-truthing, and then evaluated. The process also included a geo-spatial multicriteria analysis, which assessed various alignment options to identify the route that best balances environmental, cultural, social, land use, engineering and cost criteria.

“ElectraNet had received a lot of constructive feedback throughout the process, and will now engage directly with landowners along this section of the line route to discuss options for acquiring a new easement,” said Mr Phil CourtKowalski, ElectraNet’s Executive Manager Network Services.

“While the construction of the new transmission line is not taking place

immediately, securing the future route and easement for the new line now ensures that eventual construction can proceed as soon as a load trigger occurs.

“This route has the least net environmental impact, recognises culturally sensitive sites, reflects community preference and also achieves the lowest long-run cost for consumers,” Mr Court-Kowalski added.

Further work is required to identify the preferred alignment for the southern section between Ungarra and Port Lincoln. This involves exploring constraints, particularly around White Flats and Boston (behind Port Lincoln), where relatively new residential development has come much closer to the existing transmission line. ElectraNet will be continuing these investigations and seeking further input from landowners.

For more information about the identified route or to register to receive project updates, please visit electranet.com.au, call toll-free on 1800 890 376 or email community.liaison@ electranet.com.au.

Steel Utility Poles

INGAL EPS has more than 45 years’ experience designing steel poles.

No other overhead line structure company can cover the full range of structures we can; from our standard range of distribution poles through to the most detailed and heavily loaded structures you could possibly need.

Our standard range of in-ground and base plate mounted poles come with the offer of PLS Pole data to give asset owners and consultants real-time checking of our structures at the desktop and the engineering and raw materials that go into our structures are second to none.

You also have the comfort of knowing your structures are backed by the experience and security of the largest pole company in the world. Whatever you need, we have it covered.

Freecall 1800 623 302 to speak to one of our specialists or email us at sales@ingaleps.com.au for further details on our steel utility poles.

© INGAL EPS. All Rights Reserved. |

4150 EPS-APEN

Australian Power & Energy News - Page 23

Transformer & Switchgear Analysis 3-ph Winding Analyser DV-Power TWA40D l l l l l l l

Measures winding resistance of all 6 windings simultaneously Selectable test current from 5mA to 40 Amps per phase Resistance measurements from 0.1µΩ to 2kΩ OLTC dynamic resistance measurement Tap changer motor current recording Automatic discharge and demagnetisation Stand alone or full PC control with DV-Win software

3-ph Ratiometers DV-Power TRT Series l l l l

l l

l

True 3-phase test supply Ratios from 0.8 to 50,000 User selectable test voltage from 1 to 250V Tests all types of single & 3-phase transformers and CT’s Automatic vector group detection Measures turns ratio, phase shift & excitation current Stand alone or full PC control with DV-Win software

Micro-Ohmmeters DV-Power RMO Series l l l l l l

l

Choice of test currents from 5 to 800A True DC ripple free test current Measurements from 0.1µΩ to 1Ω Tests with both sides grounded Lightweight design Optional demagnetisation for dead-tank breakers Optional remote control

Battery Analysers DV-Power BLU200A l l l l

l l l

Up to 270A discharge current Voltage measurement from 6 to 480V Current measurement up to 1000A DC Operating modes of Constant I, Constant P, Constant R or Profile Parallel operation for higher discharge current Lightweight – just 14.5kg Detailed test analysis & test plans with DV-Win software

www.pacifictest.com.au Page 24 - Australian Power & Energy News

Pacific Test Equipment Pty Ltd

HEAD OFFICE 27/7 Anella Avenue Castle Hill 2154 P.O. Box 6930 Baulkham Hills NSW 2153 T +61 2 9659 2300 • F +61 2 9659 2311 MELBOURNE 16 Dickson Court (P.O. Box 352) Williamstown VIC 3016 T +61 3 9397 0453 • F +61 3 9397 0473

sales@pacifictest.com.au

Tim Morse Exports the Power of Design

By Kevin Glancy

O

N any given day when Tim Morse answers his phone it’s more than likely that the voice he will hear will be European, Asian or American and usually the people calling all have one thing in common. They are involved in the delivery of renewable energy and need a part that’s not available anywhere else in the world.

Put simply, no matter whether you’re involved in the normal transmission of electricity or operating a wind farm, if you have trouble finding a part or want special tooling or associated componentry to work harder, the best person to call is Tim Morse.

In the world of design engineering Tim Morse is a unique talent with a broad set of specialist skills that is rapidly attracting the attention of a range of international energy companies and it’s not hard to understand why.

After all, engineering is in Tim’s blood. He follows in the footsteps taken by a long line of engineers from Warrnambool Victoria where, in the business of engineering, the Morse name has been a significant feature in that region’s history over four generations since 1883.

His love of design engineering blossomed at a very early age when he worked in his father’s business. It was here that as a teenager Tim, a keen driver who was attracted to the world of motor racing, first cut his teeth on improving existing mechanical components in performance engines. Ultimately, the combination of engineering and driving skill would see Tim Morse crowned five times as National V8 Dirt Modified Champion.

Creating and improving engine parts to perform reliably under constant stress became a hallmark in the way Tim Morse would always go about his business and it is this sense of disciplined quality control and design perfection that has more recently placed him in demand, not just in Australasia but across the globe.

Back in 2002 like his father and his grandfather before him, Tim established his own business, Morse Engineering in Warrnambool, Victoria. The company would later be renamed Morse Power and in Tim’s typical search for perfection, it would soon become one of the most technologically advanced engineering design facilities in Australia.

Along with his hand-picked team Tim began to service a broad range of industry

clients including those in the power sector, by developing an extensive range of high quality, safety conscious specialised tooling and equipment components used in the transmission and distribution of electricity.

These days, Tim’s company continues to meet those demands and specialises in design, drafting, product development, testing, refurbishment, reverse engineering and CNC manufacturing, as well as marketing his own range of products for electricity utilities.

Tim places strict emphasis on quality and performance and every product produced conforms to world’s best practice and is designed to meet the highest Australian manufacturing standards. The Morse Power range of products includes cable handling equipment; linesman tools; pole stands; cable drums, stands and winders; self-loading trailers and spreader bars.

More recently the company has developed a range of parts for the renewable energy sector such as blades for wind turbines and other associated componentry.

The company’s list of blue chip clients is a testimony to the quality and high standards of the range of products designed and manufactured by Morse Power.

Names like Transfield, Pacific Hydro, Eco Power Co (Japan), Kallista Energy (France), Alcoa, Ergon Energy, Jemena, Glaxo Smith Kline, Midfield Group, SP Ausnet, Powercor, West Coast Energy, Tenex and Zinfra Group feature prominently.

However, the demand for Tim’s design skills now sees his operational reach extending far beyond the Australasian market. As he explains, creating a part that no longer exists is one of the main reasons for his growing international client base.

“The call from overseas will usually come when an energy company has exhausted their search for a particular component in their own region. They know that once they’ve called me I can be on the next plane if necessary and check

Above: Morse Horizontal Insulator Crab Roller out the component onsite and respond straight away. I don’t need to consult anyone and all the decisions can be made on the spot with the client.

“I can also respond much quicker as I’m already thinking about the design on the journey back to Australia and by the time I land the process is well underway. It usually takes less than six months from the first consultation, through the design, manufacturing and testing process to the actual installation of the part wherever it’s needed anywhere in the world.”

Living out of a suitcase is rapidly becoming a way of life for Tim Morse and not unlike the versatility of a one man band; when you have the power to design and manufacture up your sleeve it makes for a very entertaining journey and in the energy sector; the set of skills that Tim takes on his travels is an extremely valuable asset to have on your side.

If you’d like to know more about Morse Power and Tim Morse visit; www.morse.com.au or call Tim on 0427 624 475

Above: Morse 20kN Electric Winder Australian Power & Energy News - Page 25

Introducing the Link Disconnector URD3 for Residential Distribution # !

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Australian market of electrical interconnection products, has released to the Australian market a complete and integrated Underground Residential Distribution (URD) connection product line. Many forms of underground service connections have relied upon simple lug, busbar and terminal block connections system.

It has been recognised by power utility companies that there are major weaknesses inherent in this practice and in particular the ability to evolve into the topography needed for modern LV distribution networks.

needed for new subdivisions.

Long term consistent electrical performance is all important, so a 630A continuous rating and fault current withstand compatible with 1500kVA transformers is required. The URD3 is therefore compatible with residential and light commercial LV networks.

Maintenance crews working in dark wild weather conditions need the ability to safely isolate, sectionalise and diagnose faults and be able to quickly restore service once a fault has been repaired.

fully contained and patented LINK MODULE. The link contains silver plated solid copper plates contained within an insulated body. A unique

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the link handle is locked into the closed position, positive clamping pressure is applied to the contacts to ensure long term cool operation and

In 2001 the Australian and NZ patented URD1 system was introduced with feature development based on consultation with power utilities. % & $

interconnection system using controllable shear head technology, an integrated cover feature, no hydraulic crimping and simple hand tool installation. Over 400,000 URD1 units have been installed in over 5,000 Underground pillar boxes.

The original URD1 system is a looped service pillar terminal system available in 3, 2 and single way modules. Modern LV networks need safety, reliability and quick installation plus the ability

reliability. The system does not rely on spring pressure to maintain contact, and is thus inherently & & ' %

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Link Disconnector

The new and unique integrated URD3 system meets these requirements. It is both a looped service pillar jointing system and a fully integrated DISCONNECTOR LINK SYSTEM. It breaks new ground through simplicity and safety of design and the absolute reduction of installation time and ease of network maintenance.

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neutral are fully insulated and offer touch safety protection for the installer. Six customer service points are located at the bottom of each block, allowing installation of both copper or aluminium conductors into the integral busbar using sealed and retained grub screw connectors.

URD3 permits network designers to mix looped

open points where needed. Visible dummy links are available to visually indicate open points to maintenance crews. Future network expansion is easily accommodated in the system design by incorporating 3 way link pillars at supply point nodes and installing a dummy link at the expansion point.

To ensure reliability and cool operation, all conductors have two points of contact; two 10mm shear bolts connecting mains cables and two 5mm brass tin plated grub screws connecting the service cables, earth and street light.

|

National Sales T: 1800 769 370

E: sales@legendpower.com.au

|

W: legendpower.com.au !" #

Page 26 - Australian Power & Energy News

The URD3 system offers safe, easy, reliable and

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URD3-2W-240 Connector Block - 2 Way

URD3-3W-240 Connector Block - 3 Way

URD3-2WL-240 Link Disconnect Module - 2 Way

|

National Sales T: 1800 769 370

E: sales@legendpower.com.au

URD3-3WL-240 Link Disconnect Module - 3 Way |

W: legendpower.com.au

Australian Power & Energy News - Page 27

Upgrade to TransGrid’s Griffith Substation T

ransGrid has successfully completed the replacement of key parts of primary equipment and the secondary systems within its Griffith 132kV Substation.

“The replacement works represents an investment in the order of $35 million towards the continued safe and reliable supply of electricity to the Griffith region and NSW,” TransGrid Project Manager, Evan Lamplough said.

Through regular inspections of its infrastructure, TransGrid identified that equipment within the substation were approaching the end of their serviceable lives and in need of replacement.

Site works commenced in early 2013 to replace the substation’s 45MVA transformers with three new 132/33kV 60MVA transformers each with new compounds as well as two new 11kV auxiliary transformers, 33kV switchgear, fire separation walls, 132kV gantries and secondary containment dams.

In conjunction with this high voltage and civil work the substation’s secondary systems were also replaced.

This included three portable secondary systems buildings in a zone based arrangement with each housing equipment associated with one third of the substation’s high voltage plant in order to enhance the overall reliability of the site.

Above: New Secondary Systems Building’s installed onsite

Above: New 132/66kV 60MVA transformer at TransGrid’s Griffith Substation

By successfully identifying and achieving efficiencies throughout, this project was delivered well in advance of its August 2015 required completion date and approved budget.

Zinfra ‘digs in’ for Ergon Energy

W

HEN Zinfra commenced the project to refurbish two 110kV transmission lines for client Ergon Energy, seven months seemed a reasonable amount of time to complete the works.

Totalling approximately 110 kilometres - or “a whopping 585 poles!” as Ben Thomson, Project Manager for Zinfra put it – the project involved a series of pole changes and refurbishments along the two major 110kV feeders located in the Darling Downs in Queensland.

This work could only be undertaken during outage periods scheduled by the client. Severe weather events over several months, however, meant nearly half the booked outages were cancelled.

More time challenges were imposed by seasonal load requirements. The feeders had to be available by ‘drop dead’ dates to meet demand created by increased air conditioner and heater use by Ergon Energy’s customers.

“The crews battled severe storms, consistent outage cancellations, not to mention almost impenetrable granite rock around Warwick,” said Ben, “but they dug in and pounded out the work. It was a mammoth effort that left the client pleasantly surprised that we delivered the work despite the time challenges and in the allowed timeframe.”

A positive hallmark of the project was collaboration. “The success of this project was largely due to the collaborative efforts between Ergon Energy and Zinfra. Constant communication and ‘can-do’ attitudes went a long way in making this a successful project,” said Ben. Zinfra called in additional manpower from Victoria and Tasmania and, “much to the delight of Ergon Energy”, fulfilled the contract Page 28 - Australian Power & Energy News

Aurecon appointed for design of unit asset replacement project

within the tight timeframe, with no requests for extensions.

Ergon Energy’s Project Manager, Dirk Bakker, described Zinfra’s crew as “helpful and keen” and went on to attribute their project success to “paperwork, safety and processes that were all excellent. Overall we were very,

E

lectraNet has appointed Aurecon to provide consultancy services for its Unit Asset Replacement (UAR) Project to support reliable electricity service delivery to customers.

“Aurecon is excited to work with South Australia’s transmission network service provider on this challenging project,” Aurecon Technical Director David Hawkins said.

Aurecon will provide detailed design services for the replacement of substation assets that have reached the end of their technical and economic life, including circuit breakers, relays and voltage transformers, at 21 sites across South Australia.

The team assembled by Aurecon incorporates specialists in management and varied technical delivery areas with a strong local presence and

Above: Zinfra’s newly developed and approved work procedures meant this pole-top refurbishment outside Warwick Substation was undertaken with live, high voltage under-crossings – the orange covers are for protection – and without the need for a scheduled outage. Ergon Energy is currently developing a similar procedure based on Zinfra’s approach

“This project demonstrates TransGrid’s ability to work within the constraints of an existing in-service substation environment in order to successfully deliver the required replacement works,” Mr Lamplough added.

access to the broader Aurecon transmission and distribution team.

“Our local resources will be supported by specialists from Aurecon’s global resource base to meet the tight timeline for the successful delivery of this project,” David said.

“Aurecon’s management, systems and tailored team will deliver to the tight schedule with quality and safety fundamental to our processes.”

“We adopt a ‘design for construction’ approach, where design works are specifically engineered so that they can be safely and efficiently constructed,” David said.

This project furthers the partnership between Aurecon and SA Power Networks where Aurecon’s team is enhanced with specialist skills, knowledge from SA Power Networks’ engineering team for its successful delivery.