The future is digital South East Water’s landmark smart meter rollout
Power to the people
AEMC Chair on the puzzle of CER
The PL1500 is a gamechanger for pipeline construction. The unique, quick-hitch, vacuum lifter attaches to your existing excavator, reducing your machine hire cost and getting things moving fast. Capable of safely lifting 15,000kg, the heavy-duty, self-contained unit can handle all types and lengths of pipe. It integrates seamlessly
A team of skilled workers during an upgrade to the Gordon Power Station.
Image: Hydro Tasmania
Welcome from the Editor
Summer is right around the corner, and just like that we’re into the final edition of Utility for 2024 – and what a year it’s been!
As the industry powers toward a net zero future, utilities battled extreme weather, navigated a rapidly shifting consumer landscape and braved uncharted technological waters. Despite these hurdles, it’s fantastic to see the sector come together to build a better tomorrow for everyone and I’m constantly in awe of the collaboration and dedication that underpins every corner of the industry.
In this issue, we share key insights from some of the sector’s trailblazing projects, and check in with South East Water as it embarks on the largest smart water meter rollout in Australia.
We also took a peek behind the wall of Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program, spoke with Sydney Water about the critical infrastructure it’s delivering for the North West Growth Area, and took a deep dive into Hydro Tasmania’s ten-year capital works program.
With 2030 on the horizon, utilities from all sectors are exploring new ways to decarbonise their operations. This issue looks at how Barwon Water has set a shining example by becoming the first water corporation in Victoria to power all its facilities with renewable electricity.
This transition to renewables is set to completely revolutionise all facets of the NEM, and consumers are at the heart of this transformation. AEMC Chair, Anna Collyer, shared her insights into this new energy landscape and how we can ensure that we’re building a system that works for everyone. We also spoke
with EnergyAustralia Head of Customer Assets, Renae Gasmier, about the work that the utility is already doing in this space.
As the sector closes the book on another year, I’m reminded once again of the incredible work that Australia’s utilities are doing to ensure that they can continue to deliver the vital services that keep our country running, and I look forward to sharing more of your stories for many years to come.
Katie Livingston Editor
Drop Katie a line at katherine.livingston@primecreative.com.au or feel free to call us on 03 9690 8766 to let us know what you think. Don't forget to follow Utility on social media – find us on LinkedIn, X and YouTube.
Prevent Potential Risks
Prevent Potential Risks
Ensure safe environments with reliable water quality monitoring solutions
Ensure safe environments with reliable water quality monitoring solutions
Discover why the water industry prefer to partner with us
Discover why the water industry prefer to partner with us
We make ideas flow.
We make ideas flow.
RENEWABLES
WATER MANAGEMENT
with industry experts
FRP assets fit for service
DIGITISATION
Preparing for a digital tomorrow
Rolling out a digital future
a remote workforce
Flipping the switch on CER
How smart utilities are rethinking ERPs
intelligent approach to water security
PROJECT DELIVERY
CUSTOMER ADVOCACY & RETAIL
TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY
Skytech rocks the suburbs without disruption
the culvert relining process
Sydney’s north-west for growth
Tackling tough Tassie terrain
The 2023 National Electric Vehicle Strategy and the recent Government Consumer Energy Resources (CER) Roadmap highlighted the need for ‘harmonisation’ of electric vehicle (EV) connection standards to support further development of charging infrastructure and the widespread adoption of EVs.
Electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) is the link between an electricity source and an EV battery that delivers power. Currently, standards for this equipment di er across Australian states and territories, which may present challenges to increasing much-needed charging infrastructure.
The questions are: why are there di erent EVSE connection standards across jurisdictions? What barriers stand in the way of harmonised standards and can we overcome them?
The answer for the first question is that these di erences are influenced by a range of factors specific to each distribution network service provider’s (DNSP) history and operating environment. These variations are shaped by geography, regulations, and technical and consumer-related elements, which dictate the specific requirements and approaches adopted by each DNSP.
The second question is answered by a report prepared by Blunomy for Energy Networks Australia (ENA) in partnership with the Australian Department of Climate Change, Energy, Environment and Water (DCCEEW). The report is the result of extensive engagement with networks and the wider EV industry.
The report identifies similarities and variances in current EVSE connection standards across di erent jurisdictions and provides a set of recommendations to achieve a harmonised national EVSE connection standard.
The current industry situation
The report identifies key challenges in the industry and provides the current rules related to EVSE connections. The report’s findings can be summarised across five key areas.
Amperage limitations
In some states, residential charging is hindered by amperage limitations – i.e. how much power can flow in the wires. While amperage limitations are to maintain quality of power supply, it could limit customers from installing Mode 3 EVSE at homes.
Most DNSPs support Mode 3/Level 2 EVSE installations for residential charging. However, some DNSPs
impose additional requirements, such as data sharing on the installation or control over the management of the EVSE.
Management of residential EVSE
The potential impact of residential EV charging on the distribution network highlights the need for e ective management of EVSE. While the industry believes that setting proper tari s can regulate charging behaviours
without direct management by DNSPs, rising EV adoption may still require safeguards.
It’s essential to define these safeguards early in consultation with the industry to avoid complications.
The current approaches to manage EVSE can be broadly categorised into connection-level management, devicelevel management, pricing or tari di erentiation, and hybrid methods.
Data collection for residential EVSE
During the interviews the EV industry expressed that additional data collection requirements for residential EV charging infrastructure can be burdensome, especially given the relatively low installation costs.
To prevent issues like non-compliance and inaccurate data, the preferred approach is to leverage existing data or indirect collection methods instead of imposing additional data collection obligations. For instance: metering data, using certificates of electrical safety and vehicle registration data. Some DNSPs have already started collecting data on residential EVSE installations, and more are planning to do so in the future. The absence of centralised data-sharing systems has led DNSPs to generate their own data. This results in duplicated e orts and imposes additional burdens on installers, who must navigate di erent exemption application processes across various DNSPs.
Additional points of supply for public charging
The industry seeks clear, transparent, and reasonable conditions for allowing additional points of supply (POS) when connecting EVSE.
Connecting new EVSE via an additional POS can often reduce costs and minimise disruptions for customers.
However, the interviews noted inconsistent requirements across DNSPs create confusion for the industry, particularly for those that operate across multiple jurisdictions.
The rules for additional POS are generally consistent at a high level, with each DNSP o ering one POS and considering additional points on a case-by-case basis.
However, the specific requirements and details vary across di erent service installation rules (SIRs).
Some common themes across multiple SIRs include factors like multiple occupancy properties, large loads and clear separation of circuits.
Despite these similarities, there are still notable di erences in the conditions outlined in the SIRs, which generates uncertainty from the EV industry when engaging networks.
Connection
process for public charging
The EV industry expressed a concern about the lengthy process of connecting EV charging sites, which can take anywhere from two
to 18 months. This is influenced by numerous factors, including technical requirements, supply chain constraints and regulatory schemes.
To address this challenge, industry experts suggested that DNSPs participation in regulatory changes play an important role.
For example, some DNSPs like Ausgrid were recognised for its advocacy e orts that helped ease local government approval processes for certain EVSE installations in New South Wales.
This highlights the impact DNSPs can have on regulatory reforms.
With this in mind, the industry has identified three best practices for improvement: increasing transparency on grid capacity, o ering flexible connection options, and forming dedicated EVSE connection teams.
The
way forward
As a way forward, the report makes the following recommendations:
• Nurture engagement between DNSPs and stakeholders for implementation of recommendations, and collaborate with international organisations in areas like EV charging standards and industry associations
• Develop grid capacity availability maps for medium and low voltage networks to help CPOs and installer streamline charging infrastructure installation
• Progress harmonisation of rule-based and specific guidelines for additional points of supply to help CPOs and installers choose the best configuration for public EV charging
• Promote a consistent data collection approach for EVSE, benefitting stakeholders by simplifying compliance and enhancing e ciency for installers and CPOs
• Continue to evolve the EVSE management approach in order to e ciently integrate EVs at scale
Networks are now in the process of reviewing the recommendations working with the EV industry and the CER Working Group to identify next steps.
A word from WSAA
By balancing compassion with consequences, utilities can safeguard customers’ long-term financial health.
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly transformed operational approaches across numerous sectors, notably in the realm of essential services. One of the most profound shifts has been observed in the way utilities manage customer debt.
The utility sector adopted more lenient measures during the pandemic, refraining from imposing punitive actions such as meter restrictions, late charges, or interest on overdue bills.
This period witnessed a substantial increase in customer debt, with the prevailing assumption being that non-payment stemmed from an inability to pay rather than an unwillingness to do so.
One of our latest reports, Supporting customers in debt, provides a comprehensive examination of these evolved practices.
Through detailed case studies and
examples, Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) highlights the success stories of various water utilities and energy providers that have embedded supportive approaches into their debt-management frameworks.
Key findings indicate that a management-driven cultural shift within organisations is critical. Proactive identification of struggling customers using advanced data analytics has also proven invaluable.
Moreover, collaboration with external stakeholders, such as consumer advocates, has enhanced trust and communication, ensuring that support o erings are reaching those in need.
The report underscores the importance of balancing compassion with consequences. While empathetic engagement is essential, it must be complemented by clear, enforceable actions for non-payment to
prevent customers from accruing insurmountable debt. This balanced approach is necessary to maintain financial sustainability for the utilities, while safeguarding customers’ longterm financial health.
In essence, the report is a testament to the innovative and compassionate strategies that emerged in response to the pandemic. By prioritising customer support and leveraging data-driven insights, water utilities are not only managing debt more e ectively but also fostering a more resilient and customer-centric industry.
This paradigm shift, aligned with the principles of WSAA’s Customer Support Better Practice Framework, sets a precedent for continued improvement in the sector. It also ensures that customers and utilities can navigate future challenges with greater confidence and cooperation.
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In an event first, two councils have tied for the title of Queensland’s best tasting tap water.
The annual Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test, sponsored by TracWater, took place at the Waters Edge Function Centre in Brisbane as part of the Queensland Water Directorate’s 2024 Annual Forum.
After a rigorous blind tasting by more than 60 water industry representatives, joint winners were announced – Isaac Regional Council’s Glenden Scheme, and Fraser Coast Regional Council’s Hervey Bay Scheme.
These two outstanding water sources were commended for their exceptional taste and quality. In addition, the runner-up for this year’s competition was Mackay Regional Council’s Marian Water Treatment Plant.
Isaac Council’s entry this year came from Glenden, a rural town of 475 people that is a major locality for a large coal mine. Drinking water for the community is sourced from the Gattonvale o -stream storage in the Bowen River Weir.
SunWater (Glencore) manages the pipeline that runs from the Bowen River Weir through a 100ML Newlands Coal Mine (Glencore) lagoon to the 6ML Turkey’s nest, located at the Glenden Water Treatment Plant.
The plant has two operators that manually (no automation or SCADA) manage the water and wastewater operations in Glenden. It follows a standard treatment process of coagulation, flocculation, filtration and disinfection.
Fraser Coast’s Burgowan Water Treatment Plant sources water from Lake Lenthall on the Burrum River and takes it through a pre-treatment process of lime and carbon dioxide to produce a non-corrosive product water.
The treatment includes clarification, ozonation to remove dissolved organic matter, taste compounds and any algal toxins, biological activated carbon filters to remove readily biodegradable bi-products and residual floc particles and, finally, disinfection and water pH correction with sodium hypochlorite and sodium hydroxide respectively.
The runner- up sample, Mackay Regional Council’s Marian Scheme, is sourced from the Pioneer River that originated in the tropical rainforests of the Eungella National Park and Crediton State Forest and is treated using clarification, filtration and chlorine disinfection processes before being distributed to households and businesses in the townships of Marian and Mirani.
Other entries included samples from Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Gympie, Livingstone, Palm Island and Southern Downs councils as well as Seqwater.
The next stop for the winning entries is the National Best Tasting Tap Water competition in November in Tasmania, where they will compete against other top-performing water sources from across the country.
The Best of the Best Queensland Water Taste Test celebrates excellence in water quality and reinforces the importance of maintaining and improving the delivery of clean and safe drinking water to communities.
PBillions for Vic network reliability
owercor has unveiled a $3.3 billion plan to deliver a stronger power network that can better withstand extreme weather, support more electric vehicles and enhance regional reliability.
The electricity distributor’s 2026–31 Draft Regulatory Proposal includes a plan to provide backup supplies to four areas, more weather-resistant infrastructure and incorporate even more reliability technology into parts of the network.
Powercor General Manager Regulation, Renate Vogt, said thousands of customers helped shape the investment proposal and had made it clear what they wanted Powercor to deliver.
“Our network plays an essential role in our customers’ daily lives so it’s critical that our investments meet their expectations and respond to our changing environment, while keeping costs down,” Ms Vogt said.
“Our proposal will deliver a stronger network to better withstand extreme weather, a smarter network to manage more electric vehicle charging and a fairer network where all customers have access to reliable power, no matter where they live.”
Key management
Proposed investments include:
• $29 million to uptake of customer energy resources
• $233 million for more aerial inspections and new technology to better manage bushfire risks from vegetation clearances
• A $61 million resilience package to help the network and local communities manage extreme weather events
• $45 million to boost reliability for rural and regional customers by upgrading rural powerlines, supporting communities to better participate in the energy transition
Ms Vogt said that the rising cost of living is placing pressure on many customers so keeping network costs as low as possible is important to Powercor.
“We already operate one of the most e cient and low-cost networks and this plan continues to find smarter ways to maximise how we are using the network to get the most value for our customers.
“This plan is for our customers and shaped by our customers,” Ms Vogt said.
Meter security seals
Image: Powercor
A new era of hydropower
Hydro Tasmania will invest $1.6 billion over the next decade to optimise and modernise its existing infrastructure.
Comprising 30 power stations and 54 major dams, Hydro Tasmania’s network is one of the most complex hydropower systems in the world and has underpinned the state’s strong renewable energy record.
However, being an early pioneer in hydropower means that some of that infrastructure is due for a much-needed upgrade.
Hydro Tasmania’s planned capital works program includes major refurbishments across ten power stations and five dams. The upgrades will extend the operational life of the state’s power stations, improving capacity, reliability and flexibility.
Hydro Tasmania Acting CEO, Erin van Maanen, said, “That means we’ll get more energy out of every drop of water, and we’ll be more responsive to fluctuations in demand and supply.”
Preparing for the future
While it is already the country’s biggest renewable energy generator, Hydro Tasmania is looking to transform its network in response to a rising demand
for energy and the industry transition to variable renewable sources like wind and solar.
The upgrade of its current assets complements Hydro Tasmania’s proposed plans to redevelop the Tarraleah Hydropower Scheme and build pumped hydro at Lake Cethana to further increase its flexible capacity.
Ms van Maanen said that while Hydro Tasmania’s hydropower system has played a significant role in fueling the state’s economic growth, it cannot stand still in time.
“Investing in our infrastructure will prepare us for a new era of Tasmanian hydropower that will help meet the state’s energy demands now and in the future,” Ms van Maanen said.
“And it will allow us to provide more flexible generation and storage to fill in the gaps from wind and solar, which can generate too much or not enough depending on the weather. This storage is critically needed in a future energy market dominated by renewables.”
Major upgrades are already underway at Gordon and Poatina,
the biggest power stations in the Hydro Tasmania fleet.
The mighty Gordon Power Station O cially opened in 1978, Gordon Power Station in Tasmania’s south-west has a capacity of 432MW and supplies up to 13 per cent of the state’s energy.
The $78 million project to refurbish two of Gordon’s three turbines will add another 30 years of life to the machines. The most complex aspect is the removal and transport of the turbines’ massive 173t stators.
Hydro Tasmania Executive General Manager of Assets and Infrastructure, Jesse Clark, said the works had taken years to plan, with the process complicated by the fact the power station is 183m underground.
“The engineering and logistical planning that has gone into the upgrades is phenomenal,” Mr Clark said.
“We have a lot of skilled people working in a restricted space, deep underground, lifting and moving pieces of equipment that weigh more than a blue whale.”
Hydro Tasmania employees at the Gordon Power Station. Images: Hydro Tasmania
The upgrades are being carried out by 60 workers who are housed at nearby Pedder Wilderness Lodge, which has been renovated and expanded to accommodate the workforce.
“While working on the upgrades, the team has been living on site away from their family and friends, and we are grateful for all the work and time they’ve put into this project,” Mr Clark said.
With disassembly of machine number two currently underway, it will be refurbished, reassembled, and recommissioned over the next 12 months. Refurbishment of machine number one will commence in 2027.
General Electric components for the project have been imported from China, Italy and France, while Hydro Tasmania and local contractors are performing the on-site work.
The turbine upgrades are part of a $259 million program of refurbishments at the Gordon–Pedder Scheme that started in 2019.
Revamping Poatina Power Station Significant upgrades are also underway at Poatina Power Station, a 360MW project in Tasmania’s Central Highlands.
The $200 million upgrades will see all six machines have their Pelton turbine upgraded to a newer model from Austrian company Andritz, with other parts coming from Switzerland.
Poatina was o cially opened in 1965 and is located in a massive artificial cavern 150m underground. The power
The project team at Gordon Power Station removes a 173t stator from a turbine.
station makes use of the steep drop from yingina / Great Lake down the face of the Great Western Tiers, a collection of mountain blu s that form the northern edge of the Central Highlands plateau.
Machine number three was the first turbine to be commissioned at the station in 1964 and, after more than 60 years of use, it’s now the first to be upgraded.
Julian Quinn, who started at Poatina ten years ago as a generation technician, is now overseeing the upgrades as site manager.
“Most people who work at Hydro Tasmania have a favourite power station. Each one has its own special features and quirks that make it unique,” Mr Quinn said.
“For me, you can’t beat Poatina. Even after ten years, I get a huge buzz every time I go down into the station.”
The works on the third turbine include electrical and mechanical refurbishments that will make the machine more e cient. The control system will also be upgraded to provide data on how the machine is functioning for future maintenance planning.
“The brains – how the machine is controlled – will be completely di erent, with a new electronic system that controls the machine and feeds back information on its condition,” Mr Quinn said.
Hydro Tasmania also performs the removal and installation process of
all the upgraded parts, including the removal of the 124t rotor.
The refurbishments for the upgrades are being done right at home in Hobart at Hydro Tasmania’s Cambridge workshop, a unique and valuable asset, working with specialised equipment and infrastructure.
The workshop team features machinists, fitters, boilermakers, welders, fabricators, trades assistants and apprentices. It’s here that all the parts are being fine-tuned by the highly skilled team.
With some of Hydro Tasmania’s assets having been built decades ago, they require equipment and machinery to be specially tailored depending on the power station.
“We operate one of the most complex hydropower systems in the world,” Mr Clark said.
“Having our own workshop means we have a dedicated team of specialists in Hobart who can be responsive and cater for these requirements when significant upgrades are underway.
“The workshop provides us with our in-house capability to do our heavy machining and refurbishment of key components to implement into those refurbs and keep the machines going for another generation.”
Over the next decade, Hydro Tasmania’s capital works program will fortify the network and drive the state’s economy and jobs well into the future.
Thinking backwards
While running a motor backwards isn’t usually the first idea that comes to mind, it could be an efficient way to power a pumped hydro site.
Generally, running any mechanical equipment backwards isn’t recommended. In most cases the process is unproductive and ine cient – if not completely dangerous.
But when undertaken in the correct manner it can deliver productive results. This is exactly what Toshiba engineers are doing on a current pumped hydro project.
For projects like this one, motors drive pumps that push water where it needs to go. But when the situation is reversed, and the pumps are instead used to drive the motors, something extraordinary happens – the motors run in the opposite direction and become generators that produce electricity.
Typically, pumped hydro power plants have long generator maintenance periods that span several months, and the plant’s large equipment remains idle throughout that period.
It’s not an ideal situation, and the economics of keeping these largevalue assets idle for long periods is always a concern for the plant’s management team.
Rather than let the equipment sit idle, the dam water’s gravity could be used to turn the pumps and make them the prime movers for the connected motors. These motors now become generators, producing electricity to power the site.
However, it’s not as easy as simply reversing the motors. This type of arrangement requires precise speed control to operate motors at the optimum point and ensure exact synchronisation of voltage, current and frequency.
This is where Toshiba’s engineers have an advantage: the Toshiba regenerative MV drive is equipped with features that allows it to do exactly that.
Toshiba MV drives have been controlling motors in Australia and elsewhere in the world for decades. These drives are available up to 120MVA up to 7kV with smaller capacities at 11kV rating, and include features like extensive motor protection, that allow for more precise utilisation. They’re designed to work in tandem with Toshiba HV motors, but their flexibility and adaptability
means they can be used with almost any motor brand.
Utilising the backwards drive of a HV motor isn’t an idea that immediately comes to mind when looking for solutions to power a site. But comprehensive solutions are what Toshiba is known for.
Toshiba’s highly qualified team of engineers and technicians undertake complex engineering designs and simulations, and test and commission the entire system to ensure that it meets customer’s specifications and produces desired result. It’s this complete service package – from the feasibility studies through to the commissioning of the project – that is highly valued by customers.
Toshiba has developed a reputation for delivering solutions to complex HV motor and drive problems – and sometimes that solution is as simple as looking at a piece of equipment and seeing if it can be driven di erently.
For more information, visit tic.toshiba.com.au
The Toshiba MVe2 inverter. Images Toshiba
Hitting the clean energy mark
Barwon Water is the first water corporation in Victoria to power all its facilities with renewable electricity.
It was 2016 when Barwon Water outlined its vision to source 100 per cent of its electricity from renewable generation.
The corporation was determined to be a regional leader in the transition to a sustainable future, as it forecast increasing pressure being placed on its finite resources.
Following a series of innovative investments and strategic partnerships, Barwon Water has reached that goal.
In doing so, it became the fi rst water corporation in the state to meet the aim, as set down by the Victorian Government, to source all electricity from renewable sources by 2025.
The target was outlined in Victoria’s Climate Change Strategy and formalised in the water corporations’ Statement of Obligations (Emission Reduction), by the Victorian Water Minister in 2022.
The strong policy goal provided Barwon Water increasing confidence and incentive to invest in an array of innovative projects.
Barwon Water Managing Director, Shaun Cumming, said the achievement was the result of a long-term commitment to bold action.
“This milestone reflects our commitment to a healthier environment and providing essential water and wastewater services sustainably,” Mr Cumming said.
“It has been made possible through collaboration with our regional stakeholders and water sector peers and the support of our customers.”
As Victoria’s largest regional urban water corporation, Barwon Water’s responsibilities stretch across 8,100km2 to more than 370,000 residents.
The diverse region services rural communities in the east (Little River) and north (Meredith, Cressy), the urban centre of Geelong and coastal towns as far south-west as Apollo Bay.
The Great Ocean Road, the Otway Ranges and Ramsar-listed wetlands of the lower Barwon River are among its iconic natural assets.
Treating and moving water across the region is energy intensive, and electricity use was the corporation’s
largest emission source, previously accounting for about 80 per cent of its underlying emissions.
Its facilities use more than 30GWh of electricity per year – the equivalent of about 6,000 homes.
Where it all began
Nestled on a quiet section of Bellarine Peninsula’s coast, Black Rock is inextricably linked to Barwon Water’s energy transition.
The 290ha site – which also hosts a major wastewater reclamation plant –has been pivotal to several significant advancements.
While it’s now a renewables powerhouse, Black Rock’s transformation story begins with a sole wind turbine. First turned on in 1987, Barwon Water restored the wind turbine to service in 2004.
But it’s solar, not wind, that is now synonymous with Black Rock. The solar farm was installed in 2018, before tripling in size the following year to 8,100 panels.
With a 3MW capacity, it became the largest of its kind in the Australian water industry.
Planning and design work is underway to further transform the Black Rock precinct, with a focus on delivering a world-leading renewable energy and organic materials solution to rapidly build the region’s circular economy.
Other key initiatives
The success of the solar investment at Black Rock was a clear demonstration that the water industry could harness renewables on a large scale.
This has led to several major ventures, with industry partners and other regional authorities keen to partner with Barwon Water on sustainability initiatives.
Barwon Water and 12 other Victorian water corporations came together to form a new collective, dubbed ‘Zero Emissions Water’.
The collective used its buying power to purchase 78GWh of renewable electricity annually from the Kiamal solar farm, in north-west Victoria.
Barwon Water has also entered a joint venture closer to home, partnering with Geelong-based organisations Barwon Health and GeelongPort for a wind energy deal.
The site of the Colac Renewable Organics Network.
RENEWABLES
Called the Barwon Renewable Energy Partnership, it sees the three organisations purchase power from the Mount Gellibrand Wind Farm, near Birregurra.
Alongside this, Barwon Water has solar arrays (from 30kW to 300kW) at multiple reclamation plants and maintenance depots.
Organics processing
The innovative partnerships have been extended to private industry and councils.
In Colac, about 80km west of Geelong,
Barwon Water has teamed with two of the region’s biggest employers: Bulla Dairy Foods and the Australian Lamb Company (ALC).
In another Australian-first initiative, the Colac Renewable Organics Network is taking organic waste from the two businesses and transforming it into renewable energy and hot water. This allows Barwon Water’s reclamation plant in Colac to run on green and low-cost energy.
In turn, the initiative supports the businesses slashing their wastewater treatment costs, reducing their gas
usage, and providing heated water to run their operations.
An organics recycling facility is also planned for Black Rock. Called the Regional Renewable Organics Network (RRON), it will utilise technologies –anaerobic digestion and carbonisation – that produce energy, rather than draw on it.
Agreements are in place with local councils, to convert an estimated 40,000t of household food, garden and industrial organic waste to biochar and renewable energy.
“About a third of the waste that ends
up in our household bin is food and most of this goes to landfill,” Mr Cumming said.
“The RRON provides an innovative solution to manage our increasing amount of waste, and to build the region’s circular economy.”
The RRON will safely convert the waste into products for high value use in agribusiness and sustainable manufacturing, while also producing renewable energy. The benefits for the region will be enormous. The facility will reduce emissions by about 13,000t annually, while also creating approximately 60,000GJ of renewable energy each year.
The project is in the planning stage, with preparations focusing on designs and the relevant applications. Pending approvals, construction is likely to start in 2025, with operations to begin in late 2026.
What lies ahead
Barwon Water’s renewable electricity portfolio has a capacity of 25MW, generating around 65GWh of electricity annually.
With the ability to generate more electricity than its facilities require, excess power is being exported back to the grid.
This is minimising operating costs, helping to keep prices a ordable for customers, while helping to protect the region’s natural environment.
Barwon Water applies a caring for Country approach, drawing from Traditional Owners to enhance the natural and cultural values of its sites.
This approach informs its work to protect the region’s natural assets and the organisation’s overall goal of reaching net zero emissions.
“We are strongly focused on our 2030 target of achieving net zero emissions across our operations and doing it in a way that reduces energy costs,” Mr Cumming said.
“This includes tackling direct emissions from wastewater treatment processes and transitioning to a zero-emissions vehicle fleet.”
Renewable hydrogen production, using recycled water, is among the exciting initiatives being explored.
This would fuel hydrogen vehicles and deliver e ciencies in the wastewater treatment process by using the oxygen byproduct of hydrogen production.
However, some emissions in the latter would remain, with Barwon Water looking to address these via o sets.
Carbon sequestration
Nature-based carbon sequestration –which removes carbon dioxide from the atmosphere by re-establishing forest on cleared land – is central to achieving net zero emissions by 2030.
Planning is underway on the organisation’s first project of this kind, which will revegetate about 150ha at Dewing Creek, near Barwon Downs. More than 100,000 plants, reflecting local and historical vegetation, will go into the ground. The habitat of up to 28 threatened species – including eight threatened plants – will be expanded through the works.
“The vegetation will remain permanently, ensuring long-term environmental benefits for the area and providing habitat for native wildlife,” Mr Cumming said.
In addition to improving biodiversity and drinking water catchment health, the initiative will remove 50,000t of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere over the next 25 years.
The Kiamal solar farm.
Dam strong upgrades
Critical upgrades from Seqwater are designed to ensure ongoing safety and water security in south-east Queensland for years to come.
The Queensland Government is investing $69 million into strengthening works for the North Pine Dam wall as part of Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program.
Seqwater Interim CEO, Will Harpham said that the North Pine Dam Improvement Project is focused on ensuring the dam continues to operate safely in extreme weather events and provide water security for generations to come. The staged strengthening work will also bring enhanced safety benefits and support the major dam upgrade planned for Lake Samsonvale.
“While planning for the major dam upgrade continues, Seqwater has identified an opportunity to undertake early strengthening work to the dam wall,” Mr Harpham said.
“The staged strengthening work
will deliver enhanced safety benefits ahead of further upgrades being assessed as part of the North Pine Dam Improvement Project.
“While North Pine Dam continues to operate safely, dam design and engineering standards, along with knowledge of weather and flood risks, have evolved since it was constructed in 1976.
“The strengthening project will see more than 60 post-tensioned anchors installed into the dam wall. Ranging from 42 to 94m in length, these anchors will add up to approximately 100,000t of weight into the dam wall to further strengthen it.”
SMEC was awarded the contract for detailed design on the strengthening project, with construction work expected to commence on-site in 2025.
Queensland Water Minister, Glenn Butcher, visited Somerset Dam to inspect where important enabling works will commence.
The North Pine Dam.
Geotechnical drilling activities were completed in April 2024 as part of the pre-planning and investigation phase to inform the options analysis for the major upgrade. An options analysis is currently being completed for the North Pine Dam Improvement Project to carefully assess long-term options for increasing the dam’s capabilities.
The project will be the first major upgrade of North Pine since it was built almost 50 years ago. Constructed in 1976, the dam, also known as Lake Samsonvale, is built across the North Pine River, 5km upstream from Petrie, which is about 26km north of the Brisbane.
One of south-east Queensland’s gated dams, alongside Wivenhoe and Somerset, North Pine is an important part of the SEQ Water Grid, which allows Seqwater to move treated drinking water around the region.
The primary purpose of North Pine Dam is storing water for the people of nearby North Brisbane and Moreton Bay; however, the dam is operating with a reduced full-supply level while the improvement project is underway.
This is an industry-standard practice to manage dam safety and, according to Seqwater, demonstrates its commitment to the ongoing security of infrastructure. It does not significantly impact long-term water security. The fact that south-east Queensland has a safe, reliable and resilient water supply system stemming from careful and ongoing water security planning and a diverse asset base allows Seqwater to supplement supply in a timely manner as needed.
Bringing dams into the modern day Dams are long-life assets that require continual assessment, monitoring and maintenance. While Seqwater dams were built to stringent international safety standards, many were built in the 1960s and 1970s, some even earlier.
Methodologies and data used to estimate extreme rainfall events have significantly improved in recent times and industry engineering standards and our understanding of dam safety risks have also progressed since the dams were originally built. There are multiple dam upgrades occurring across Queensland to meet modern engineering standards
and to comply with the dam safety requirements outlined in the Water Supply Act 2008.
Through its Dam Improvement Program, Seqwater is investing in south-east Queensland’s dams to ensure ongoing safety and water security. The bulk water provider has delivered 13 such upgrades since 2008, including Leslie Harrison Dam at Capalaba, Sideling Creek Dam north of Brisbane, and Ewen Maddock Dam on the Sunshine Coast.
As part of the next stage of upgrades, early works are underway on the Lake Macdonald Dam Improvement Project, geotechnical works are underway on Wivenhoe Dam to inform the options analysis for its upgrade, and Somerset Dam has received more than $500 million in funding approval as part of the first stage of the Somerset Dam Improvement Project.
Early works for Somerset Dam
As part of Seqwater’s Dam Improvement Program, Somerset Dam is also being upgraded to meet modern engineering and design standards.
The Queensland Government announced in June more than $500 million in approved funding for investment into the early and enabling works at Somerset Dam.
Seqwater is pleased to be planning a range of early and enabling works to support future construction on the major dam upgrade planned at this site.
“The early and enabling works will broadly include the removal of the spillway (radial) gates which are nearing the end of their service life, replacement of eight sluice gates, geotechnical investigations, temporary and permanent access road works, and the augmentation of its original drainage curtain,” Mr Harpham said.
“The works are required to be completed irrespective of the final design option for the Somerset Dam Improvement Project, which is currently being considered as part of the detailed business case stage. The early and enabling works are expected to commence on-site in 2025.”
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Toowoomba Regional Council set out on a digital metering journey to identify leaks early and improve water security for the region.
Providing a secure water supply, maintaining network assets, driving operational e ciencies and improving outcomes for customers are the foundational challenges faced by every water authority.
Toowoomba Regional Council is certainly no exception to this rule, but the geographical conditions of its service area add an extra hurdle into the mix, namely the fact the region experiences short but intense rainfall events, followed by prolonged periods of drought.
“We know that we go into periods of not having much water, so water conservation has been really important to residents in the region for a long time,” Toowoomba Regional Council Deputy Mayor and Councillor for Strategic Water Planning and Capital Delivery, Dr Rebecca Vonho , said.
“Like everywhere else, our region is also facing an infrastructure cli ; we have pipes underground that are nearing the end of their useful life, and the reality is we cannot a ord to dig up and replace every single one – we need to target our repairs.
“Putting all those factors together, it would just seem like a logical area for us to invest our resources in.”
With Toowoomba Regional Council’s analogue water meters also reaching the end of their lifespan, Council decided to explore how digital metering could help tackle these challenges and save water by updating these assets.
Going digital
Toowoomba Regional Council was looking for a solution that could reduce water loss and improve operations, provide customers with detailed consumption data, minimise bill shock, and deliver better demand management outcomes.
Before any of these benefits could be realised, however, Toowoomba Regional Council needed to understand the best pathway for its metering program, so it commissioned a review of its current meter-reading operations, enabling it to make informed decisions.
The review saw Toowoomba Regional Council assess six possible metering options against its needs. This allowed Council to clearly identify the solution that would deliver the best outcomes.
The best return on investment was determined to be NB-IoT with ultrasonic metering. This approach would see Toowoomba Regional Council replace all 20mm meters with NB-IoT-enabled
ultrasonic meters throughout both Toowoomba City and outlying areas.
The solution included near real-time meter data and alarm monitoring, as well as an updated customer interface, and would be delivered in partnership with Optus, Iota Services and GreenBe.
Optus provided reliable and secure data transmission, GreenBe delivered the customer portal Toowoomba Water app, and Iota, a wholly owned subsidiary of South East Water, brought digital knowledge from South East Water, Cura™ ultrasonic meters, and the Lentic® operational IoT platform, to manage the meters and validate the data.
Cura ultrasonic digital meters provide daily water consumption data and early leak detection alarms to Toowoomba Regional Council sta and to residents subscribing to the GreenBe portal.
Lentic is an IoT platform that analyses meter data and integrates with Toowoomba Regional Council’s systems so Council can action leak alarms, use the consumption data for billing and share it with residents. The platform also feeds daily usage and leak alarms to the GreenBe customer portal to allow Toowoomba residents to monitor water usage and leaks in near real-time.
While the solution looked promising on paper, Cr Vonho said there’s always a risk in making a big investment decision.
“The o cers came to the councillors with a proposal, and we said ‘this looks great, but we can't just muck around with water, so we need to do a trial’,” Cr Vonho said.
This trial allowed Toowoomba Regional Council to test and prove the preferred solution before larger scale implementation.
Tried and tested
The trial commenced in July 2021, and over five months Toowoomba Regional Council deployed 2,000 digital water meters and tested the integration with its billing and customer engagement systems to identify where water savings could be made.
Cr Vonho said this trial would not have been possible without the support from the community.
“We have been so fortunate with our residents, because they don't need to be told to conserve water. They are so mindful of it and that is incredibly helpful,” Cr Vonho said.
The advanced metering technology enables residents to view their usage data and set targets through the web portal and app. This allowed them to see which activities in their homes use the most water and identify potential leaks.
Toowoomba Regional Council also receives leak notifications from Lentic and can proactively inform customers of leaks so they can be addressed early –before bill shock.
“If there is a problem and there’s a leak somewhere in a resident’s system then they get a shock when they get their water notice. If people can have visibility and can check their water usage daily, it reduces the chance of that shock happening,”
Cr Vonho said.
Lentic has displayed 13,838 continuous usage alarms between December 2022 and July 2024, and identified around 30ML of water leaks that would otherwise have gone undetected.
“On average, about 12 per cent of residents experienced a leak on their property. This suggested substantial improvements could be gained by giving approval for the smart water meters program to be rolled out more broadly,” Cr Vonho said.
“As a result of the trial, we were comfortable to move forward, because we saw that the water savings were in the order of 16 per cent, and that is such an enormous amount of water for us.”
Toowoomba Regional Council is now rolling out more than 68,000 digital meters across the network – including 3500 commercial meters – and expects to have full deployment completed by the end of 2025.
The larger scale rollout also includes the implementation of Iota’s Flow Lotic™ data logger, which connects to existing commercial analogue meters and enables data transmission through to the IoT platform – Lentic, providing business customers visibility of water consumption across sites at the main meter and sub-meter level.
Measuring success
The data from advanced meters provided Toowoomba Regional Council with a clear view of the network and enabled Council to pinpoint where investments would be most beneficial. Making operations more e cient also allowed Toowoomba Regional Council to remove the need for manual meter reading.
Having digital meters also means that Council will no longer have to contend with mechanical meter failure and will get a more accurate record of water use and any potential issues.
While the data generated from the meters enabled Toowoomba Regional Council to save precious water and control the network more e ciently, it also empowered Council to provide even better service to the community.
With near real-time access to water usage, Toowoomba Regional Council’s
customer service team is equipped with the tools and knowledge to answer questions, provide better service and build trust among the community.
“People don’t particularly like change, and if you’re changing something like the water meters then there has to be good communication with the community about why you’re doing it,” Cr Vonho said.
“If there wasn’t community support, then we wouldn’t have proceeded. That’s where I really put my energy – I wanted people to see that this made sense for them.”
Cr Vonho said that it’s crucial to have a strong relationship and constant communication with the community.
“Be informed and then have the heart and the mind that you are going to meaningfully and genuinely talk to the community.
“If you’re going to do something new with a resource as precious as water, then make sure that it makes sense to you and that you have the answers for your community.”
Cr Vonho said making major investment decisions and planning for the network can be challenging because there are always going to be competing priorities.
“I think a good lesson that I’ve taken out of this going forward is, if you don’t sometimes take those big leaps, you’re just always kind of going to be playing whac-a-mole,” Cr Vonho said.
“There’s going to come these moments where you have to take a leap and do it in a smart way.”
For more information, visit iotaservices.com.au
Viewing data via the Lentic IoT platform. Image: Iota
Shaping Melbourne’s water future
To keep up with a rising population and meet emissions targets, Melbourne Water is upgrading its Western Treatment Plant with a new resource recovery complex.
Having been established more than 120 years ago, Melbourne Water’s Western Treatment Plant (WTP) handles more than half of the city’s wastewater.
The plant, which is approximately the same size as Phillip Island, doubles as a working farm and its lagoons, grasslands and coastline provide an ideal and varied habitat that is internationally recognised as a prime birdwatching location.
The WTP supports Melbourne’s international reputation as one of the world’s most liveable cities by being a major agriculture and biodiversity hub, while also delivering resource recovery, education and ecotourism.
An essential process
The plant’s sewage treatment facilities provide an essential service that protects the health of the city’s public, waterways and Port Phillip Bay.
Having grown over its lifetime, the plant now treats more than 182,500ML of sewage every year using a low-cost, low-energy treatment process.
The process involves sewage slowly flowing through a series of lagoons –the largest of which can hold 600ML – where bacteria gradually break down the organic material in the water.
The process takes 30–35 days to turn wastewater into class C recycled water, which can then undergo further
treatment in other parts of the facility, turning it into class A water – the highest standard of recycled water.
Anaerobic lagoons
The first lagoons in the process are contained beneath large plastic covers designed to keep out oxygen. This creates an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment, perfect for certain types of bacteria to thrive.
As these bacteria decompose the organic material in the sewage, methane gas – also called biogas – is released. The plastic covers then serve a second purpose; to catch this gas, reducing the odour of the facility
From left: Member for Tarneit, Dylan Wight; Water Minister, Harriet Shing; Melbourne Water MD, Dr Nerina Di Lorenzo; John Holland Executive GM – Infrastructure, Rob Evans. Images: Melbourne Water
and preventing excessive emissions. The captured biogas is then repurposed to provide power for the site.
Aerobic lagoons
Sewage then flows into the uncovered aerobic lagoons, where aerator machines pump oxygen into the water, making it suitable for a di erent type of bacteria. These bacteria remove nitrogen from the water and cause remaining waste products to clump together.
This waste is then easily separated out in settling tanks called clarifiers before being dried and stored or reused as biosolids.
Release or recycle
Once the water has reached this stage of the process, it has been thoroughly cleaned and is categorised as class C recycled water.
Under strict conditions set by EPA Victoria, it can now be released into Port Phillip Bay.
Alternatively, it can be further disinfected using ultraviolet light and chlorine to produce class A recycled water, which can be reused in agricultural irrigation or residential water networks.
The plant is a vital part of the circular economy, turning waste into valuable resources that can be reused. These include:
• Biogas (methane) – used to generate enough renewable energy to power the plant
• Recycled water – used to irrigate the plant’s farmland and wetlands, and the nearby food growing district
• Biosolids – soil-like material rich in nutrients, used in farmland
Melbourne’s continued growth means sewage flows are expected to almost double by 2050. Together with innovative initiatives – like ‘co-digesting’ business food waste to reduce landfill and harness more biogas – this creates an opportunity for the WTP to make an even greater contribution to the circular economy.
Recovery and re-use
Melbourne Water Senior Manager Major Projects, Major Capital Delivery, Mark Lawrence, said that the WTP’s Resource Recovery and Re-Use Complex (RRRC) upgrade will ensure the plant remains up to the task of servicing the city’s population.
“The RRRC will deliver an integrated environmentally sustainable solution at the WTP, decarbonising our existing process and reducing greenhouse gas emissions and odour,” Mr Lawrence said.
“The upgrade will increase resilience to accommodate Melbourne’s growing population, enabling improved resource recovery and potential renewable energy production.
“Additionally, the RRRC will reduce the load on existing and downstream processes, providing indirect benefits to ensure that the WTP continues to support a thriving Port Phillip Bay.”
The project is set to modernise the way Melbourne Water treats incoming sewage and return the existing lagoon-based assets at the plant to a more sustainable mode of operation.
The RRRC consists of four projects that will:
• Reduce the load on the existing anaerobic lagoons and lower the frequency of odour-intensive maintenance works by introducing new treatment processes
• Improve solids handling and anaerobic digestion to divert sludge away from the overloaded aerated ponds
• Develop a new facility to receive and treat waste delivered by tanker from Melbourne Water’s customers, better managing environmental risk and helping Melbourne Water fulfill its obligations under the Environmental Protection Act
• Deliver a new liquid food waste facility to receive waste from industrial customers for codigestion, which will generate renewable energy
The WTP already treats approximately 60 per cent of Melbourne’s sewage, and the new complex is expected to increase its current capacity of almost 200ML per annum by nearly 50 per cent. This will ensure Melbourne Water’s ability to service the city through the projected doubling of its population by 2050. In addition to improving delivery e ciency, bundling the four new plant assets into one major project has aided in technical innovation, allowing developers to modernise the way incoming sewage will be treated. This is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, allow for better integration of liquid food waste digestion and enhance the plant’s biomethane production, which in turn will enable greater renewable energy generation. The RRRC project marks a major milestone for the future of the WTP. As part of the project, Melbourne Water is investing significantly in digital resources and academic collaborations that will help it to monitor and reduce its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions. The utility will seek to reduce its Scope 3 emissions by at least 20 per cent during works to the develop the RRRC, using a range of sustainability initiatives and practices.
The RRRC is being developed through a partnership between Melbourne Water and John Holland Group and is expected to be complete and fully operational in 2029.
Turning the first sod of Melbourne Water’s Resource Recovery and Re-Use Complex at the Western Treatment Plant.
When a major burst occurs the impact on the environment and customers can be profound. Image: R19/shutterstock.com
Knowing the right time to repair
Upgrading pipeline infrastructure is a never-ending task, and with hundreds of assets to consider, how can utilities determine where to prioritise their resources?
Well-maintained assets are integral to delivering essential services. However, with competing priorities, budget restraints and workforce limitations, utilities will always be faced with the question, when is the right time to repair or replace ageing pipelines?
According to Detection Services Chief Operations O cer, Chris Evans, utilities need access to as much information as possible to optimise their resources.
“The issue is knowing where to start, knowing which assets are in poor condition and what the consequences of failure are for these pipelines,” he said.
“The cost of failure is significantly more than the cost of replacement in most instances. Pipelines don’t always fail catastrophically, but when a major burst occurs it’s not only the repair that can be costly, the impact on the environment and customers can be quite profound.”
Carrying out preventive maintenance or refurbishment works is crucial to avoid disaster; however, sending team members out to manually inspect every single asset is a colossal undertaking. The historical approach was to carry out a rolling program of pipeline inspections, which starts with a desktop assessment to understand where the key risks areas are before using that information to
decide where to carry out inspections. These inspections traditionally relied on invasive methods, such as cutting the pipe, sending a camera down or digging around it to look at the coating. Because these methods are unable to provide detailed information about the scope of the deterioration, a damaged pipeline would often be replaced from start to finish – at a huge cost to the community and the environment.
“The issue is that pipelines don’t fail uniformly; they don’t deteriorate all the way across their total length,” Mr Evans said.
“If a utility had a way of using X-ray vision to look at this pipeline and identify
just the smaller sections that are showing signs of deterioration, then rather than replace 5km of pipeline, they may identify during a condition assessment that only a few sections may need replacing or monitoring.
“By having a well-thought-out, well-informed condition assessment program, utilities can start thinking about where pipelines are likely to fail and the associated consequences, and then be more surgical about their refurbishment strategy.”
A solution in the pipeline
To find a solution, Detection Services and the University of Adelaide teamed up to develop p-CAT, a non-invasive and non-destructive pipeline technology.
“We now use p-CAT as a long-range reconnaissance tool to identify specific sections of a pipeline that are showing signs of distress or anomalies that could accelerate failures,” Mr Evans said.
“Then before the utility decides to go and dig that piece of pipe, if the pipeline is metallic, we can use our magnetic flux leakage (MFL) tool, smart-CAT, to give the pipeline almost like an MRI so we can see the very highest levels of corrosion inside and outside the pipe.”
For assets that can’t meet the material, pressure or sizing requirements of p-CAT, Detection Services employs Pipers by Ingu, a baseball-sized freefloating multi-sensor system.
“We use the Pipers tool to look for things like leak detection on long-range pipelines, to map sediment depth, and also provide pipe alignment information,” Mr Evans said.
Another technology that Detection Services has embraced, Rezatec, takes condition monitoring quite literally out of this world. Rezatec uses geospatial artificial intelligence – information taken from European Space Agency satellites –to map and monitor critical assets.
“It’s a really smart technology, and it takes all the pipeline history, failure histories, condition and material, puts that into a database, and then builds a threat and consequence matrix,” he said.
“Rezatec provides a retrospective analysis, so it looks back over five years of history from the satellite network and then is able to track ground movement and vegetation density. And when you build all that information together, you can start providing a risk profile or a consequence of failure profile and predict where things are starting to go astray.”
A defined section identification pipeline survey.
Image Detection Services.
While embracing new technologies is a core part of Detection Services’ ethos, Mr Evans said ensuring the team provides the right technology to get the right outcome is the top priority.
“We try and be agnostic in terms of the solutions. Rather than try to push a round peg into a square hole with only one tool, we look for the best outcome for the client and have a large portfolio of suitable technologies," he said.
“We’re very passionate about pipeline condition assessment, and we’re also passionate about innovation and developing our technologies to meet the market as an Australian-led business.
“By working with Detection Services, every dollar is put back into the Australasian economy, and we provide ongoing support to various research projects in Australia to develop innovative and sustainable solutions for the water industry.
“We put a lot of investment into this solution to meet the demands of utilities, because before we had things like p-CAT people had to dig around pipes and hope for the best, or risk inserting equipment into pipelines. Now there’s a better way of doing it, and that’s been developed here in Australia.”
Choosing the right solution
Optimising power generation solutions isn’t just about delivering performance outcomes; it’s also about providing the right support to avoid downtime.
Compressed air, filtration and power generation are vital elements in the successful operation of essential utility services, manufacturing facilities, industrial complexes and commercial environments.
As a leading provider of compressed air and power generation solutions across Australia, CAPS has an extensive range of products and brands to provide complete air and power solutions that are suitable for local operating requirements.
Specialised water solutions
Air blowers are vital in aeration processes, air scouring and filter backwashing activities, however providing compressed air to activated sludge basins in wastewater treatment is generally an energy hungry arrangement, requiring both blowers and generators to be optimally sized and selected for the application.
CAPS’ experience and range of positive displacement blowers, multistage centrifugal and single-stage centrifugal turbo blowers are ideal for wastewater treatment applications and there is a solution to suit nearly every customer.
As part of its commitment to providing specialised water solutions, CAPS has partnered with industry leading filter manufacturer Bollfilter to deliver its range of automatic, manual, duplex and simplex filters, along with fine filter units and membranes.
Power generation
Industrial, utility and commercial operations are reliant on uninterrupted power supplies. CAPS has proven itself in the delivery of reliable and cost-e ective backup power solutions, with the equipment sizes and power outputs that
can be customised to meet specific needs and operating environments.
At the heart of every diesel-powered generator, it’s the engine that dictates the reliability and e ciency. This is why CAPS only sources from manufacturers who use the best engines, such as Kubota, Perkins, Isuzu, Volvo, Mitsubishi and Yanmar, each paired with leading alternators and controllers to help ensure operational continuity.
Designed to suit the application
CAPS delivers complete solution designs, developed by its in-house engineering team and supported through its Australian ISO9001 accredited manufacturing facility.
The custom-built systems are perfectly matched to clients’ requirements. This expertise also enables CAPS to integrate new technology into existing installations, enhancing the operational performance and life of equipment and infrastructure.
Local knowledge and support
CAPS joined the Ingersoll Rand family in 2024, expanding its access to the Ingersoll Rand’s global o ering of innovative and mission-critical air,
fluid, energy and medical technologies that enhance industrial productivity and e ciency.
CAPS has ten branches nationwide and its dedicated team ensures that customers’ operations run smoothly with its 24/7 maintenance and breakdown service.
The national footprint means CAPS is working in the same time zones as its clients and are on hand to support customers through the entire process, from understanding their requirements, o ering suggestions and providing advice, to ultimately delivering the solutions they need.
The support continues throughout the equipment’s operational life, with CAPS providing Ingersoll Rand PackageCARE™ plans, giving clients the greatest value for managing their assets by transferring operational risk to Ingersoll Rand.
CAPS can also get clients operational without big capital costs by delivering its competitively priced, turnkey rental solutions. Keeping your operations running smoothly all year round.
For more information, visit caps.com.au
CAPS is committed to providing specialised water solutions for the utility sector. Image: CAPS
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Going the extra yard
Utilities need to have a deep understanding of the comunities they service and their needs in order to project them – and this same customised approach goes a long way for their suppliers, too.
In order to face unexpected challenges, organisations need to be able to adapt. VEGA Australia Managing Director, John Leadbetter, said that there is no one instrument that does it all.
Mr Leadbetter has been in the industry for more than 40 years, and firmly believes that companies should have access to a range of di erent technologies in order to confront a variety of potential applications and locations.
VEGA Australia has provided instrumentation and measurement technology to businesses in Australia and internationally since 1984. Mr Leadbetter said that a global clientele demands a scalable product range.
“We’re dealing with a number of industries globally, and there are a variety of applications our solutions have to suit,” Mr Leadbetter said.
“There’s no one solution to do everything, so you have di erent technologies to suit the variety of needs.”
Right now, many within the industry are under increased time and financial constraints. For Mr Leadbetter, this means no two customers are ever in the same boat – which is why a blanket approach doesn’t work.
“What we strive to do is make sure we solve the customer’s problem, whatever that may be, so that the next time they have a problem, they come back to us.”
The VEGA experience
In order to streamline its systems and free up personnel, a water company in the US made the decision to automate its processes through the installation of pressure sensors across its network.
The company’s search for a new instrument supplier led it to the process measurement experts at VEGA.
Once contacted, VEGA’s team toured the utility’s facilities over a number of days and met the people involved in their instrumentation and automation decisions to better understand the company’s needs.
From there, VEGA provided trial units that were tested across multiple applications in the utility’s processes, allowing the team to see fi rst-hand what sets VEGA pressure instrumentation apart.
The water company was impressed by the precision and reliability of the measurements, as well as how easy the sensors were to set up and confi gure. Some of VEGA’s devices even o ered features like Bluetooth connectivity that allowed operators to wirelessly monitor, set up, and adjust them through the VEGA Tools app.
After exploring VEGA’s solutions, the water company decided that it had found the instrumentation partner it
VEGA works closely with customers to meet their specific needs.
was looking for. VEGA worked closely with the utility to not only install and commission sensors across its entire system, but also to train operators on how best to utilise the sensors to reach process automation goals.
VEGA’s mix of precise, reliable instruments and commitment to customer support means that the needs of its customers are always met or exceeded.
“If we come across an application we have no fi rst-hand experience with, we ask our international partners.
“Somewhere in the world, someone may have already used it and can give us a reference,”
Mr Leadbetter said.
“And we can then pass it on to the customer. If you go the extra yard, you get another happy customer.”
For more information, visit vega.com
Image:
www.ve9a.comtpressure
Protecting our water catchments
To
safeguard waterways for the next generation, Coliban Water is taking a prevention-led approach to managing source water.
Coliban Water is the first water corporation in Australia to adopt the Australian Water Association’s new Source Water Protection Statement.
The statement provides eleven risk prevention principles to support water corporations with catchment policy direction and ultimately better protect drinking water catchments:
1. Drinking water source protection should not be compromised
2. Multiple barriers are recognised as a protection for source waters and should be maintained
3. Human health protection requires priority
4. Complacency needs to be avoided
5. The ‘precautionary principle’ should be applied
6. Appropriate investment and risk-based decision making should be followed
7. Know your catchment
8. Communication with the community is vital
9. The transdisciplinary and adaptive nature of source water protection should be acknowledged and practiced
10. Achieving source water protection through partnerships and by leading the way
11. Indigenous Australian participation in source protection is vital Coliban Water Managing Director, Damian Wells, said drinking water supply catchments and waterways, by their very nature, are complex and dynamic systems.
“Across Australia, we are seeing our catchments increasingly at risk from a growth and development, increased recreational demand, extreme climatic
events and emerging contaminants,” Mr Wells said.
“These new principles seek to set a future direction for preventative risk management while building out resilience across waterways. It was an easy decision to adopt these considerations for source water protection.
Coliban Water Managing Director, Damian Wells.
Coliban
“We’re proud to take a stand, as we know the health of these catchments is in the long-term interests of our communities, our environment and our people.”
From catchment to consumer
Under the new statement, water corporations should maintain the supply of water at the highest practical quality by considering all steps in the water supply chain, from catchment to consumer.
“We are 100 per cent committed to this. Our region is home to 35 reservoirs and water storage basins, including Upper Coliban, Malmsbury and Lauriston,” Mr Wells said.
“We are proactive in this area, with the new principles already embedded in our day-to-day work and a key component of our safe drinking water risk management planning.”
In practice, this means a preventionled approach that includes a vast list of regular catchment maintenance; including pest and weed management, land management –which is intertwined with waterway health – and protecting our waterways from stock – as this can cause erosion or water quality changes.
“We also monitor long-term risks such as climate change and development encroachment within a catchment,” Mr Wells said.
“The team has worked closely within our region and it has increased our business knowledge of where the vulnerabilities are and how to mitigate those early.
“These measures result in a healthier waterway and improved environmental outcomes, as well as the water being easier to treat when it reaches our water treatment plants,” Mr Wells said.
On the ground
Coliban Water Reservoir, Rural and Catchment Coordinator, Kylie McLennan, has spent more than a decade improving and maintaining the region’s waterways.
Ms McLennan said long-term, sustainable land-management strategies were improving the quality of water that flowed from Upper Coliban, Malmsbury and Lauriston reservoirs down the 70km Coliban Main Channel to Bendigo – and stock exclusion control was essentially the first step in protecting the water.
Water Reservoir, Rural and Catchment Coordinator, Kylie McLennan.
“Water that flows into the reservoirs is filtered through natural vegetation. If we have got our land management right, then it’s a win for the environment and ultimately a reduction in water treatment costs at the other end,” Ms McLennan said.
“This is helping our catchments to flourish. As a land management professional, there is a need to always follow up each year when undertaking pest plant management.”
Ms McLennan said this consistent approach was key to enacting change.
“We’ve prioritised certain areas and specific vegetation. It’s good to take on new areas infested with pest plants but the first priority has been tackling the follow up works in same areas from the year before.
“Then you can take a bite out of the next bit, and the next bit, and so on. We also partner with Traditional Owner groups to undertake land management projects that benefit the environment and our visitors.
“That’s how we’ve approached it and it’s taken years to make progress on the hundreds of hectares of land which surround these reservoirs.”
“We want to keep our drinking water sources as clean as possible. We are passionate about it; we have mitigations in place and we take it seriously.”
A healthy Coliban catchment
The partnership and passion that has come with land management helped form A Healthy Coliban Catchment Program, a program dedicated to protecting key water catchments.
The 20-year program, now in its sixth year, is a joint e ort with the North Central Catchment Management Authority and DJAARA (the Dja Dja Wurrung Clans Aboriginal Corporation). The program aims to boost habitat connectivity, sustainable land use practices, and build cultural and lifestyle value across the region.
DJAARA’s Aboriginal Waterway Assessments inform decisions about the work needed to restore catchment health.
Dja Dja Wurrung Group Chief Executive O cer, Rodney Carter, said Djaara involvement in decision making is critical to improving the health of waterways and catchments.
“Healthy Country and healthy water is of utmost importance for Djaara (Dja Dja Wurrung People). We have inherited thousands of years of Ancestral knowledge about water on Dja Dja Wurrung Country,” Mr Carter said.
“We’re applying those traditional sciences and traditional ways of knowing through our partnership with Coliban Water and the North Central CMA.
“We share our knowledge to help heal our water systems for the benefit of all.”
To date, the program has seen 51km of fencing installed along waterways, 412ha of weed control, 134ha of land revegetation and 84 o -stream watering systems.
“This level of environmental stewardship aligns with our own Environment and Sustainability Policy Statement, and our strategy ‘dhelk gatjin, dhelk balak ’, which means ‘healthy water, healthy people’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language,” Mr Wells said.
“Continued collaboration with our partners and communities will help us remain focused.”
A Healthy Coliban Catchment is funded by the Victorian Government’s Our Catchments, Our Communities program, Coliban Water, and the North Central CMA. It is part of a $248 million investment by the Victorian Government over four years (2020–2024) to improve the health of waterways and catchments across regional Victoria.
Leading the way
E ective management of water catchments requires governments, water utilities, land management agencies, landholders and other custodians to work together.
The Malmsbury Reservoir Wall.
While A Healthy Coliban Catchment has strengthened regional partnerships, general community education will also be key.
“Starting these conversations with our communities about the importance of source water protection will help positively influence behaviours,” Mr Wells said.
Ms McLennan said being a good neighbour and building strong relationships with property owners, community groups and customers could also improve understanding.
“What we do benefi ts hundreds of thousands of people, it’s important to get that message out to everyone, including our neighbours that surround the storages. We educate people as best we can because it’s for the greater good,” Ms McLennan said.
Connection to Country
The management of water and land is an essential part of Coliban Water’s strategy: ‘dhelk gatjin, dhelk balak – healthy water, healthy people’.
“We are living up to our strategy, which includes ensuring we restore the health of our water, land and biodiversity through partnerships, nature-based solutions and infrastructure as guided by Traditional Owner knowledge,” Mr Wells said.
One of the goals in the strategy is to follow Traditional Owners’ lead. It aligns with and takes direction from the Djaara Gatjin Strategy Dhelkunyangu Gatjin, meaning ‘working together to heal water’ in Dja Dja Wurrung language.
“We are committed to leaving our environment in a better place than when we found it and building a sustainable business for the future.”
In July 2024, Dja Dja Wurrung and Yorta Yorta man Trent Nelson was appointed as an Independent Aboriginal Delegate to Coliban Water’s Board of Directors.
Mr Wells said Mr Nelson’s appointment would ensure that Aboriginal values and knowledge are central to future water management strategies.
“This position provides a great opportunity for an
Aboriginal voice at Coliban Water,” Mr Wells said.
“Trent will also be able to advocate for culturally sensitive and sustainable water practices and support the delivery of Traditional Owner aspirations back onto Country via a true partnership approach.”
Taking the next steps
A combination of boots on the ground, future planning and investment in infrastructure will help Coliban Water continually improve its waterway management.
“Caring for our land and reservoirs will benefi t future generations. It impacts everything we do,” Mr Wells said.
“Our prevention-led approach is creating a strong foundation for source water protection.”
“We’ll keep moving in the right direction and build resilience in the water supply chain.”
To learn more about A Healthy Coliban Catchment, visit connect. coliban.com.au/healthy-colibancatchment
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In 2022, severe floods caused widespread damage to homes and infrastructure.
Image: Alex Cimbal/shutterstock.com
Ensuring stormwater asset resilience
As extreme weather events put an increasing strain on the network, water utilities can bolster their flood resilience to protect public health, homes and the environment.
The past decade has seen Australia experience record-breaking extreme weather events, which have in turn had severe impacts on communities. These events are expected to become even more frequent in the next ten years, increasing the danger to the health and wellbeing of communities and ecosystems.
Stormwater and sewer systems are essential parts of urban infrastructure that manage rainfall, runo and sewage in order to protect communities and assets above ground.
While the weather is of course beyond the sector’s influence, controllable factors such as poor maintenance can increase the likelihood of failure, making it crucial that asset managers ensure stormwater and sewage systems are resilient enough to protect communities and environments.
Failure occurs when excess water enters the system and overwhelms its capacity, leading to backups and overflows. This can cause several challenges, including increased operational costs, risks to public health and the environmental, and dissatisfaction within communities.
Preventing asset failure
The lifetime of sewer and stormwater assets can vary by decades depending on a variety of factors, including materials used, local conditions, level of usage and, most importantly, how they are maintained. There are two primary types of maintenance: preventive and reactive.
Preventive maintenance involves routine upkeep of assets, focusing on detecting and preventing equipment failures before they can occur, whereas reactive maintenance only responds to failures after the fact.
While reactive maintenance might seem like the financially superior option in the short term, a lack of preventive maintenance tends to result in accelerated asset deterioration, and when systems fail the repairs can be costly. Over time, these costly repairs can exceed the expense of regular preventive maintenance routines.
Without a proactive maintenance plan, minor issues can quickly cascade into more serious problems. As the threat of floods grows, asset owners need to have a comprehensive understanding of the state of their systems to be able to make informed decisions and prepare.
Getting maintenance right
When it comes to preventive maintenance, Enviroline is one of Australia’s leading specialists in water jetting equipment, trucks and trailers, and other pipe maintenance solutions.
The team at Enviroline have been tailoring solutions to the unique needs of councils and utilities for more than five decades, and the company o ers a range of products to support a proactive maintenance approach, which helps avoid costly repairs, and minimises disruption to communities.
For example, Enviroline’s CCTV pipe inspection cameras enable thorough examination of pipelines to identify potential issues before they escalate into major failures. In the event of blockages, utilities can then harness Enviroline’s water jetting trucks, which provide highpressure cleaning capabilities, allowing for thorough removal of debris and blockages.
Although investing in high-quality maintenance equipment brings upfront costs for utilities, it helps ensure the resilience and reliability of water infrastructure, o ering long-term cost savings while ensuring the safety of communities.
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Australia is one of the widest and driest countries in the world, which makes access to a safe and reliable water supply a constant challenge, especially for remote areas.
To ensure that all communities have stable access to this vital resource, pipeline infrastructure needs to be constantly upgraded and maintained.
Given the critical nature of these works, utilities need to be able to trust that their contractors can provide the right equipment for the job.
Pipeline projects present a range of safety hazards, as construction often takes place in harsh conditions, involving heavy machinery and pipeline pieces that can weigh upwards of 10t.
Pipeline Plant Hire (PPH), in partnership with Global Equipment Services (GES), designs and manufactures a range of vacuum pipe lifting equipment, which have been optimised to increase the productivity, e ciency and safety of pipeline projects.
The VacLift grips pipeline pieces by cupping onto their side with a rubber
seal called a ‘shoe’ before creating a vacuum seal that can easily support up to 15t of pipe.
These innovative vacuum lifts achieve three times the output of other pipeline lifting methods, grant the operator complete control over the pipe’s movement, and come in a range of sizes suited to di erent excavators and pipes.
GES Director, Matt Dridan, said that he is frequently surprised to find that project developers are not aware of the benefits of vacuum lifters.
“I'll see some people using ladders and climbing up on trucks and I think, ‘Oh my goodness, I know for a fact that will result in an injury’,” Mr Dridan said.
“Failings in productivity can be made up for down the track. A failing in safety cannot be made up for. A contractor can complete a project over-budget or overtime, but if you injured anyone, there’s no point applying for the next project.”
PPH delivers training support for the use of its VacLifts, which can be provided either on the work site or at its factory.
“At our factory, in a more controlled environment, operators can get a better look at the development of the equipment and get an understanding of the process.”
Mr Dridan said that PPH isn’t just a manufacturing company that decided to take on vacuum lifts.
“We came from the pipeline industry, and from that experience we developed vacuum lifts that fi t the sector and meet its unique requirements.
“The people at Pipeline Plant Hire have more than three decades of experience in the industry, so we understand the process, we understand the ramifi cations of not getting it right, and we understand the overlap of various equipment and conditions.
“We also have the largest hire fl eet in the country, and this, combined with our round-the-clock local support, delivers the right outcome for any project.”
For more information, visit pipelineplanthire.com.au
Overcoming the odds
After a long and rocky journey, MidCoast Council’s $27 million Gloucester Water Upgrade project is now complete, providing locals with access to a reliable, modern water network.
The upgraded Cemetery Road reservoir site in New South Wales now hosts a range of new infrastructure, including a seven-million-litre concrete reservoir, a smaller, elevated service reservoir, and a chlorine dosing unit.
This major network overhaul began in 2015 as a renewal of the area’s water reservoirs.
The resulting improvements, which came alongside upgrades to the town’s reticulation network, have eliminated the historical issues of the area’s old infrastructure, which has now been decommissioned.
MidCoast Council’s Director of Infrastructure and Engineering Services, Rob Scott, said the project’s initial scope was focused on renewing the Gloucester area’s water assets.
“We had two ageing reservoirs existing in that area,” Mr Scott said.
“One of them was not structurally sound enough to be filled to the full supply level. We had to impose a restriction on the level to which we could fill it.”
After the reservoirs were initially constructed, Gloucester continued to grow around them and eventually above them, meaning they could not supply su cient water pressure to higher elevated areas.
“Neither of the sites were su cient to supply enough pressure,” Mr Scott said.
“Over the years, Council had to tack on infrastructure – little booster pumping stations that boosted pressure into particular areas. We had four of those in town.
“That meant every time there was a power failure we had whole streets or whole areas of town that went without
water because there was no pressure in the system to deliver that water. Not to mention the consequences of then having to go and clear the network when the power comes back on.
“We’ve had to go and sort out air and dirty water trapped within the system. It was quite a complicated and annoying operation, but it was just the way that the system had evolved.”
Through its investigations of the project, Mr Scott said Council determined there was not enough storage in the existing reservoirs to meet the modern requirements of the town and the water treatment plant had to run year-round to make up for it.
“What started as a simple replacement became an improvement in service delivery as well,” Mr Scott said.
“We went from one total reservoir being replaced to the concept of two: a large-volume lower-level reservoir and a small-volume higher-level reservoir that can keep the pressure up into those higher areas of town without having to rely on electronically boosted pumping stations.”
The plan continued to expand to include optimisation of the town’s reticulation network and the addition of a new chlorine station at the new reservoirs to support water quality.
“It all works, it meshes together now,” Mr Scott said.
“We have the ability to control everything so much better than what we had before, as well as solving the service-related issues and the asset-management-related issues.”
A
fraught journey
The project faced several major setbacks during its lifetime. During early phases,
Council become embroiled in a suite of local government reforms that were occurring across New South Wales.
“We actually had a two-stage merger process where, in the first stage in 2016, three local government councils were rolled into one,” Mr Scott said.
“What was once Gloucester Shire, Greater Taree City and Great Lakes Council became MidCoast Council under the then State Government’s Fit for Future program.
“Then in 2017, the MidCoast Water utility was dissolved into one MidCoast Council. They were previously separate for about 20-odd years.
“That created a whole host of problems with sta , with contract conditions and employment issues. It was a very big interruption.
“We had a project we knew we needed to do, and then we had this massive interruption to our resources and to how we actually do work that virtually stalled
the project for a couple of years whilst we regrouped and rebuilt the organisation around the new structure.”
It wasn’t until 2018 that Council was ready to proceed with the project, advancing it to the detailed design stage.
“It was about 2020 when we finished the detailed design, not long before that wonderful year that we had COVID,” Mr Scott said.
“Unfortunately, the original contractor that we went with was
Queensland-based and we were in the middle of the contract when the border shutdowns started to occur.”
The contractor, FB Contracting, suddenly found itself struggling to deliver the project, as it was not able to move resources and personnel into New South Wales.
“They had to source new subcontractors and new resources that were available from within New South Wales, which became a big resource issue,” Mr Scott said.
“Circumstances aligned for a perfect storm of cost escalation, di culty sourcing materials. You name it, we pretty much had it.
“Ultimately, and unfortunately, that contractor was spread a little bit too thin with the number of projects they had on the board, which led to them going into liquidation.”
FB Contracting was appointed a liquidator in late-March 2022 after construction had started in June 2021 and was estimated to be approximately 50 per cent complete. Works already undertaken included most of the new water main, and substantial progress had been made on the smaller steel reservoir.
Mr Scott said that while Council tried to work with FB Contracting as much as possible to keep the project moving, it didn’t have the cash flow to continue.
Suddenly finding itself without a contractor to lead the major project, Council had to take matters into its own
hands. Having put in a significant amount of work to fully document the progress of the project, Council was able to pick up where FB Contracting left o .
“We had a whole heap of subcontractors, suppliers, local vendors, and we stepped in to try and take over as much of that as we possibly could,” Mr Scott said.
“As an organisation, we directly project-managed all of the work external to the reservoir sites.
“We either did it ourselves using our own resources, took over the arrangements that were in place with the previous contractor, or we created
our own new arrangements to complete that work.”
Council managed the project on its own for three months before it was able to retender and secure a new head contractor.
“Everything flowed quite quickly from there because we’d already done a lot of the in-ground works,” Mr Scott said.
“It was great to see the project finally get out of the ground.”
Built for the community
With the project complete, Gloucester’s water network is now delivering greatly improved services for residents.
The Gloucester Reservoir during construction.
An aerial view of the reservoir.
“We now have a better, more resilient piece of infrastructure. As a result, there’s no more structural defi ciencies on the reservoirs capacity,” Mr Scott said.
“Because we’ve got a lot more in storage now, we don’t need to run the treatment plant every day.”
The increased storage capacity means the region can handle potential water supply disruptions presented by fl ood events, without putting strain on the treatment plant.
“We can rely on what’s in the reservoirs for a couple of days, or even up to a week, before we have to start running the treatment plant again,” Mr Scott said.
“Whilst that water’s stored there, we can run the circulation system. We can run the disinfection system and keep the residual chlorine under control as well.
“We’re not going to face a problem where we have low chlorine levels or low disinfection. From a community perspective, that’s valuable.”
And with the new pressure standards in the network, new building
developments no longer have to include their own fi re fi ghting systems.
“We had buildings that had to have their own water storage and dieselpowered booster pumping system that would pressurise their sprinklers in the building so that they met their fi re security,” Mr Scott said.
“By removing the need for this, we were able to reduce the cost of new entrants into the market for
our industrial estate and for the surrounding areas.”
Mr Scott said that the commitment to the project from both sta and councillors was commendable.
He also praised the Gloucester community for their ongoing patience over the years.
“I think everyone has understood how important this upgrade is to Gloucester,” he said.
Keeping FRP assets fit for service
FRP composites could increase the lifespan of utility infrastructure. But clear standards for non-destructive testing are needed to harness the benefits.
Fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) composites have been used successfully for decades as a safe, cost-e ective alternative to metals for making vessels, tanks and piping that store and transport corrosive materials in a variety of industries.
However, a long-standing barrier to more widespread use has been the lack of a proven non-destructive testing (NDT) methodology for assessing the fi tness-for-service of FRP equipment.
While standards and codes for FRP design and construction consider the unique properties of these materials, standards for inspection of in-service FRP lag behind.
Current standards tend to impose requirements for inspecting metal equipment or are based on the properties of new FRP and don’t account for the impact of service conditions on the material.
As a result, available standards and codes provide little guidance for inspectors to help them understand the damage that can be expected once FRP equipment is in operation.
Fortunately, this gap in standards for in-service FRP is closing.
An UltraAnalytix inspection quantitatively defines fitness-for-service with reliable data. Image: RPC
RPC’s validated, quantitative methodology for non-destructive FRP assessment, licensed by UTComp is making inspection of these assets easy, cost-e ective and reliable.
Data-based FRP assessment
In August 2024, the Welding Research Council (WRC) published the third edition of WRC Bulletin 601 (WRC-601), Assessment of Existing Fibre Reinforced Polymer Equipment for Structural Damage, authored by UTComp founder and Chief Technical O cer, Geo Clarkson. WRC-601 provides the technical basis for FRP assessment techniques including attenuation-based ultrasound (UAX).
UltraAnalytix® NDT is a patented, non-destructive, non-intrusive UAX-based system developed by Mr Clarkson for reliable fi tness for service assessment of in-service FRP assets.
According to the American Petroleum Institute, equipment is fi t for service when it can operate as intended by its design.
A fi tness-for-service assessment of FRP is di erent, however, because FRP composites are fundamentally unlike steel and other metal alloys.
Steels are solutions – the material’s properties are consistent throughout. FRP composites, on the other hand, are mixtures – each component acts separately and has di erent mechanical properties.
A fitness-for-service assessment works best when it’s derived from objective criteria. However, this is a di cult prospect when there are more than 200 di erent consensus standards and codes related to design and construction of FRP equipment, and none o er any guidance on what’s required for inspection or fitness-for-service determination.
An UltraAnalytix inspection is designed to remove this guesswork by quantitatively defining end-of-life with reliable data, which allows owners to plan with confidence and ensure operational safety.
Because the fitness-for-service evaluation can be undertaken non-destructively and non-intrusively, asset owners save money by avoiding shutdowns and unnecessary repairs or replacement of FRP equipment.
For more information, visit rpctechnologies.com
Distributed Control Systems (DCS) are digital systems that automate the operational equipment for industrial processes.
Decreasing the manual input of a process reduces safety risks and increases e ciency, which results in better operations and improved environmental outcomes.
NHP Product Manager – Software, Darren Frost, explained that modern DCS use a scalable, multi-discipline technology that provides a common automation platform for seamless integration of an entire plant.
“Utilities provide critical services, so adopting new technologies can be a big risk, but if there is room for them to take the leap, they can realise benefits all the way across their system, from the operator to the customer,” Mr Frost said.
“It’s a big jump to take that leap of faith, but there’s a giant reward on the other side of it.”
In the short term, these systems can reduce the complexity and cost of engineering, commissioning and maintenance, but in the long term it’s important that a DCS can accommodate change.
When it comes to choosing a DCS that will stand the test of time, Mr Frost said that there are two key aspects to consider: design standardisation and data contextualisation.
“These are your building blocks for the for the future, and if you’ve got a standard design, it’s easy to implement changes and it’s easy to integrate and bring that data out.
“But once you’ve got that data, you need to make it useful to the operators. So that’s where data contextualisation comes in.
“If you follow these practices when bringing these tools into your business, you’re going to be in a far better place to leverage them in the future.”
Supporting a critical service
Mr Frost said that given the enormous responsibility utilities are tasked with, it’s key that they make informed decisions on new technology and work with a reputable supplier that understands the critical nature of the sector.
“You need to have a partner that’s going to support you as you evolve. For example, Rockwell Automation provides support locally, but it also has a system
integrator program and because it’s standardised, it’s very accessible,” he said.
Mr Frost explained that Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx DCS, is an industry leading solution with proven success in a wide range of sectors.
“What sets PlantPAx apart is that rather than being a separate product, it’s a framework that’s built on top of Rockwell’s standard products, and brings them under one unified platform,” Mr Frost said.
“This reduces the risk and simplifies operation, because it is very easy to implement a standardised system. This also means that PlantPAx is future-proof and can grow with businesses as they need it to.
“A good partner is not going to just sell you products and move on, you need someone who’s going to help you on your journey from the start. Someone that has a proven system with a proven track record, who can support you into the future.”
For more information, contact your local NHP Account Representative or call 1300 647 647.
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Rolling out a digital future
With a landmark 100,000 devices already deployed, South East Water is embarking on the largest smart water metering program in Australia.
As climate change, population growth and cost-of-living increases put pressure on utilities to find more e cient ways to manage and use water, the water industry is turning to digitisation for the solution. In this pivotal time, South East Water is braving uncharted territory with the mass rollout of digital meters across its entire network. By 2029, the utility aims to replace all analogue devices with advanced NB-IoT meters that incorporate leak detection sensors. With close to 100,000 devices already installed, the digital metering program
is now in its final phase. Its goal is to leverage data insights to deliver better outcomes for the community and the environment, as well as South East Water’s network and operations.
South East Water Acting General Manager Digital Utility, Mark Elvins, said the project is underpinned by the utility’s vision to innovate with purpose and act with care.
“We’re dealing with dynamic challenges in the water industry,” Mr Elvins said.
“We needed to drive fundamental shifts to the way we approach these
emerging challenges and our vision gives us license to do that.”
The road to water security
South East Water’s digital transformation journey started more than a decade ago as a way to empower customers with more information about how and when they use water.
While the utility’s first digital meter trials began in 2010, South East Water Group Manager, DU Programs and Process Transformation, Kenneth Lowe, said that it was in 2015–16 that South East Water really started to
A digital meter installed at Caulfield South, Victoria. Images: South East Water
When a digital meter detects a consistent water flow, the IoT system sends a message to the customer.
look at how it could replace its ageing fleet of mechanical meters with more advanced technology.
“The challenge when you’re an early adopter of a new technology is that you’re learning lessons for the first time as you introduce that technology,” Mr Lowe said.
Given these initial trials showed promising results, the project moved into its core capability phase in 2018. This next step was taken in partnership with Yarra Valley Water and Greater Western Water and saw South East Water deploy 10,000 meters under the Digital Capability Pilot.
“In 2020, we felt more confident with the technology and were able to start rolling out meters in much larger volumes,” Mr Lowe said.
“We hit about 20,000 meters by 2022 and that’s where we really started to pick up the pace on the rollout. From the lessons in that core capability phase, we identified the capabilities we need to build in our organisation, and what we need from the technology.”
During the build-and-scale phase from 2022–24, those 20,000 meters quickly became 30,000 and then 40,000, with South East Water on track to reach 100,000 meters by the end of 2024.
It was also during this period that South East Water developed the business case for the final phase – the mass rollout of one million meters across its entire network.
“The business case was one of the most reviewed in South East Water’s history,” Mr Lowe said.
“It went through three external reviews, multiple board reviews, the Essential Services Commission (ESC), Department of Treasury and Finance (DTF), the water ministry and, finally, two state ministers signed o on the business case in January 2023. This allowed us to get ready for the mass rollout, which kicked o on 31 July 2024.”
With the final stage now underway, the digital field services team used all the key lessons from the previous phases to build
a strategy for the mass rollout.
South East Water Delivery Manager, Digital Field Services, Katy Henley, said one of the unexpected challenges the team encountered was managing the extra works required in the field to replace meters that have been concreted in or built over.
“The time it takes to rectify those works will have an impact on us being able to continually keep deploying, which is part of our strategy,” she said.
“We don’t want to break the business. We don’t want to go into an area where there’s high usage and get a lot of leak alarms that are going to overload our call centre. We balanced it to suit everyone and we do spread deployments each quarter.
“We’ve done a whole weighting of priorities, and we plan the meter exchanges accordingly so it’s spread where we want to go geographically and across a mix of residential and business customers.”
Innovation at scale
Through its in-house research and development team and commercial arm, Iota, South East Water has designed and deployed its own fit-forpurpose ultrasonic digital meters and an enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) platform to digitally manage its assets and services.
One of the crucial considerations for the program, Mr Lowe said, was looking at how South East Water could scale up its existing systems to support the data collected by the meters.
“We recognised very early on, before we developed our business case, that for any device that leverages NB-IoT, there is a need for an IoT platform,” he said.
“South East Water embarked on a journey with our partner Iota to develop a platform that would bring the data from all these devices in the field, process it and then distribute it to various systems so that they’re not overloaded with too much data.
“This gives us a lot of flexibility to integrate with billing, metering, asset management and customer service, and then gives these systems information they need at a pace that doesn’t overload the system.”
Empowering customers
While the benefits of advanced metering are felt throughout every level of the business, South East Water put customers at the heart of this journey.
“We’re constantly seeking feedback from our customers, both before we start and through the process to ensure that we’re meeting their needs,” Mr Elvins said.
“If they have thoughts, preferences or concerns, then we’re managing them proactively, rather than waiting for complaints. We’ve established the program to be truly customer-focused, and that creates the necessity, more than anything else, for us to be actively listening to our customers.
“We’re in a privileged position to provide a service to the community and we don't take that lightly. We want to provide the best possible experience we can, wherever we can.”
The new digital meters give South East Water’s customers access to near realtime data about their water consumption via the mySouthEastWater portal, giving them greater control over their usage and helping them save water and money.
The data from the meters also allows South East Water to help customers fight leaks on their side of the meter.
According to South East Water Group Manager, Digital Field Services, Ash Walsh, customer-side leaks would often go undetected for months until customers received a much larger bill than expected.
“When this happened, there’d be an investigation that kicks o and we’d often give customers money back and say, ‘You didn't know about the leak, so we’ll help you out’,” he said.
South East Water aims to leverage data to deliver better outcomes for the environment and the community.
“Now, within 24 to 48 hours we can identify what we call a continuous flow at a property, which just means the meter hasn't gone back to zero and there’s always been water going through.
“We’re then able to send a text message or an email to let customers know that they’ve had a leak, when it started, how big it is and how much it’ll cost.”
When a digital meter detects a consistent water flow for 24 hours (if it exceeds 120L) or continuous flow for seven days, the enterprise IoT system will generate an alert. This sends a message to the customer with some steps to help them identify the cause of the potential leak as soon as possible.
While many customers are able to respond to these leaks quickly, not all are not in a position to do so. South East Water identified that uncertainty around repair costs was a major barrier for these customers, so it also established a process where customers can access a free virtual leak audit from its plumbing partner, thereby empowering them to make an informed decision. These leak notifications have so far saved nearly 1.5 billion litres of water, and $6.3 million on customers’ bills.
Fighting network leaks
In addition to detecting leaks on customer properties, data from the meters also
allows South East Water to manage its network assets. The sensors in the digital meters can pick up vibrations in the network, as they’re physically connected to the metal pipework.
“By analysing vibration data from the digital meters, we are able to infer where we may have leaks within our network,” Mr Elvins said.
“Through our data analytics platform, we can pinpoint potential leaks, the severity of the leak, and the likely duration of the leak until it becomes a burst.
“While we only kicked o the test-and-learn phase of the network leaks program in February 2024, it’s exceeding all our expectations and is able to detect leaks that we may never have found through other means.
“Our business case didn’t forecast any savings in FY23–24, but after reviewing the results, we’ve found real savings of around 140ML within the first five months,” Mr Elvins said.
Collecting this data has also allowed South East Water to gain new insights into how its assets operate and how faults can be managed more e ciently.
“When it comes to non-revenue water, our overall is 14 per cent, with a large proportion of that figure attributed to water loss through bursts and leaks. The vibration meter helps us
find leaks faster and fix them quicker,” Mr Walsh said.
“We’ve also got better data, so we can understand more about the water being used in di erent areas across our network and we can use better predictive analytics.”
While a project of this scale is not without challenges, Ms Henley said overcoming them boils down to having a strong vision and an organisational structure that allows smart people to come up with new ideas.
“The key thing is the organisation in general does love innovation because, without it, we couldn’t do what we’re doing,” she said.
“It’s not just for us; we’re taking that leap for the water industry so that everyone can benefit from this digital rollout. The industry in general is great. They’re very collaborative, which is such a nice space to be in.”
Innovation is not without risk, of course, but Mr Elvins hopes the risks South East Water is taking now can benefit the water sector in the future.
“We hope that this journey shows the broader industry what’s possible when you do take a leap,” he said.
“We’re really happy to be the trailblazers on this one and find all the problems along the way so that our peers can hopefully follow after us and not make the same mistakes.”
How can utilities navigate onboarding and identity challenges remotely without compromising security?
Many Australian utilities are faced with a unique challenge: their workforce is often spread across vast geographic areas. This dispersion makes onboarding new team members particularly cumbersome, as it frequently requires field workers to be taken o -site, resulting in wasted time and resources.
Unicard o ers a range of identity solutions – identityONE, CaptureME, and IDmobile – that revolutionise ID management, making the onboarding process smoother and more e cient. identityONE is designed to streamline the creation, management, and issuance of IDs. This tool ensures a high level of security and durability while significantly reducing production time, errors and inconsistencies. As a cloud-hosted solution, identityONE allows o ce workers to access necessary data from anywhere – whether they are in the o ce, at home, or on-site.
CaptureME makes the onboarding and verification process straightforward for both new and existing employees. This tool enables employees to submit their details, capture, and upload ID images and provide verification documents remotely from any device. This eliminates the need for trips to designated administration stations, saving valuable time and e ort.
IDmobile ensures that all employees have a digital ID readily available, regardless of their location. Even in remote areas without internet access, employees can access their secure IDs, ensuring they are always equipped with the necessary identification.
Key benefits of Unicard’s identity solutions:
• Easy access: enhances flexibility and e ciency by allowing employees to access and show their IDs and related data from any location
• Enhanced security: implements stringent security measures, including encryption and a digital hologram, to protect sensitive data and ensure authenticity
• Operational e ciency: instant, live identification in facility and customer sites without security delays – boosting overall productivity
• Access control: integration with major access control systems for uninterrupted site door access with legacy infrastructure
Unicard’s identity solutions o er a comprehensive answer to the onboarding challenges faced by the utilities industry. By simplifying ID management, these tools can help the sector save time and resources while enhancing security and operational e ciency.
For more information, visit identityone.com/utilities-energy
Flipping the switch on CER
By Anna Collyer, AEMC Chair
Consumers are key players in Australia’s transition to renewables, but how can we ensure that this new energy landscape works for everyone?
It's a sunny Sunday afternoon in Melbourne. I’m standing on the sidelines of my daughter’s Aussie Rules game, chatting with other parents. Without knowing what I do for a living, one mum, Clara, starts talking about her home renovations and the headache of deciding on solar panels. Another mum, Jane, chimes in about her husband’s obsession with their new solar app.
As I listen, I realise I’m witnessing a microcosm of Australia’s energy future. These conversations, happening on sports fields and in living rooms across the country, are shaping our transition to a cleaner, more e cient energy system.
At the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC), we often talk about consumers as the heroes on the road to net zero. But what does that really mean?
The new energy landscape
Today’s energy consumers wear two hats. They’re not just recipients of a service but active participants in the system itself. Around one in six free-standing Australian homes have solar panels, with one in two expected by 2040. By 2030, at least one in eight Australian households will have a battery or an electric vehicle, or both. Fast forward to 2050, and that number rises to one in four.
It’s a bit like our energy system has transformed from a big machine with a few large parts to one with millions of tiny, interconnected components. Each solar panel, battery, and electric vehicle is now a crucial cog in this vast, complex mechanism.
But here’s the challenge: how do we ensure this new system works for everyone, including those who can’t invest in their own energy resources?
T he puzzle of CER
At the AEMC, we’re piecing together a complex puzzle. Each piece represents a crucial reform that, when connected, will unlock the full potential of consumer energy resources (CER) for all Australians.
We’re working on rules to make it easier for households to capture value from their energy assets. Imagine being able to receive separate billing for your electric vehicle (EV) charging or trading excess energy from your EV back to the grid.
We’re also looking at ways to allow virtual power plants to compete directly with large-scale generators. It’s like giving our energy system a pair of glasses – suddenly, it can see and respond to consumer actions that were previously invisible.
This improved visibility will lead to more e cient generation use, lower system costs and reduced energy prices for all consumers. It’s a win-win that doesn’t require changing behaviour, just smarter market operation.
Smart meters: the digital foundation
Another crucial piece of this puzzle is the accelerated rollout of smart meters. These are the digital foundation for a modern, connected, and e cient energy system. But we understand that with new technology comes new concerns.
That's why we’re proposing enhanced consumer protections alongside the rollout. We’re considering a mandatory three-year consent period for retail tari changes following smart meter installation. We’re also looking at requiring designated retailers to o er flat tari options. The goal is to give consumers more control and choice over their energy pricing while still enabling the important rollout of smart meter technology.
Think about it this way: smart meters are like fitness trackers for your home’s energy use. They provide valuable data that can help you make informed decisions. But just as you wouldn’t want your fitness tracker to suddenly change your diet without your consent, we don't want smart meters to lead to unexpected changes in your energy bills.
Real-time data for consumers
Hand in hand with smart meters comes another exciting development: we’re working on rules to improve consumer access to their energy data in real-time. This is about putting power (pun intended) into the hands of all consumers.
Even Jane’s tech savvy husband is still manually setting the dishwasher each morning to come on when he anticipates their solar panels will be at peak production during the day.
Imagine a future world where his app can take the legwork out of this for him by connecting up data streams from the grid and their panels, and respond to programmed preferences for household appliances, so that solar panels, batteries and dishwashers are all working in a way that gives them the lowest bill possible?
This real-time data access isn't just about satisfying the energy enthusiasts among us. In a world where nearly all of us will eventually have an electric car, it’s about empowering all consumers to make informed decisions about their energy use with whatever degree of flexibility they have and wish to exercise. Knowledge, after all, is power.
Rethinking electricity pricing
As we navigate this new landscape, we’ve realised that our current market arrangements were developed when energy flowed in one direction and consumers’ energy use was inflexible. That’s why we've initiated a comprehensive review of electricity pricing.
This review will examine how market arrangements, retailers, and networks can support consumers in a CER-rich future. We’re asking fundamental questions about how to provide consumers with a range of appropriate products, services, and prices that suit their needs and preferences.
It’s a bit like renovating an old house. The original structure (our current pricing system) was built for a di erent era. Now, thought needs to be given to how we redesign it to accommodate modern living (our evolving energy landscape) while preserving the best features of the original.
The trust factor
But it’s not just about technology; it’s about trust, safety and privacy too.
Let’s talk about electric vehicles for a moment. The batteries in EVs could potentially provide four times the storage
capacity of Snowy Hydro 2.0. But here's the rub: how do we convince someone who bought a car to get from A to B to also use it as a mini power station?
It’s a significant mindset shift, and it won’t happen without trust. Consumers need to know they’re getting a fair deal and that their car will still be ready when they need it. This is where customer protection frameworks come in, but it’s also about fostering a culture of genuine customer service among energy providers.
I’m reminded of the transformation we've seen in the taxi industry with the
AEMC Chair, Anna Collyer (right) moderating at panel at an industry event. Image: AEMC
advent of Uber. The technology behind Uber isn’t particularly complex – its real magic lies in how easy and safe it makes the experience for customers. I once left my phone in an Uber after a night at the theatre with my mum. The ease with which we retrieved it was a testament to a system designed with the customer experience in mind.
The road ahead
As we navigate this energy transition, we need to remember that not all consumers will have the means or desire to invest in CER technologies. Our challenge is to create a system that benefits everyone, regardless of their ability to participate directly.
We’re at a pivotal moment in our energy market's evolution. The decisions we make today will shape the energy landscape for decades to come. By working together – regulators, industry players and consumers – we can create an energy future that is not only cleaner and more sustainable but also more a ordable and reliable for all Australians.
This journey to net zero isn’t just about reshaping our energy system. It’s about redefining Australia's role in the global transition to a low-carbon future. It's a responsibility we must embrace with both urgency and thoughtfulness.
The task before us is formidable, but the potential rewards are immense. Studies estimate that e ective
integration of CER could deliver net benefits of up to $6.3 billion by 2040. This isn't just about savings for CER owners; it’s about reducing costs and emissions for every energy consumer in the country. As I watch my daughter on the sports field, I'm reminded of why this matters. We’re not just solving an energy puzzle; we’re crafting the world she and her generation will inherit. It’s a complex challenge, but one that I believe Australians, with our spirit of innovation and fair go, are more than capable of meeting.
In the end, the success of our energy transition doesn’t just depend on the decisions we make in boardrooms or the rules we set as regulators. It depends on millions of individual choices made by consumers across the country. From the solar panels on our roofs to the way we charge our electric vehicles, each of us has a role to play in this transformation.
So, as you navigate your daily energy choices – be it installing solar panels or simply switching o the lights when you don’t need them – remember: you’re not just a consumer. You are part of something bigger. You’re a crucial part of Australia’s energy future. You’re the hero in this story, and we’re here to help you on your journey.
For more information on the AEMC’s consumer energy resources reform work, visit aemc.gov.au
How smart utilities are rethinking ERPs
From maximising the lifespan of existing infrastructure to delivering on sustainability goals and improving services for customers, utilities face several well-publicised concerns – and the stakes are high.
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), bringing the grid up to speed to transmit intermittent renewable energy will cost a minimum of $12.7 billion1, and the Federal Government has already committed $20 billion as part of its Rewiring the Nation program to modernise the electricity grid and deliver new and upgraded transmission infrastructure.2
With net zero deadlines fast approaching, modernising the electricity system is a huge priority and requires urgent decision making from Australia’s utilities.
With so many competing demands, utilities leaders are challenged to make strategic decisions and investment priorities that balance the books, improve services, decrease the burden on consumers and the environment, and satisfy shareholders – all at the same time.
By Coy Wright, Rimini Street VP Energy, Utilities and Resources Industry Solutions
Under increasing pressure from customers and regulators, utilities need to make smart strategic decisions to stay ahead.
One key area of the business that holds more potential for cost savings, improved margins and an accelerated timeline for innovation than many chief information o cers (CIOs) and chief financial o cers (CFOs) recognise, is one that is often mistaken as inflexible – your existing enterprise resource planning (ERP) application.
Mission-critical, not strategic Core business applications have long played a key role in running back-o ce functions for utility companies, which makes them mission-critical to the smooth running of their operations.
While mission-critical, ERPs are not the drivers of strategy; strategic decisions are made in meetings and boardrooms and then applied to determine which technology investments are needed to realise business objectives.
Qualifying the di erence between mission-critical and strategic IT investments can be addressed through a time-to-value exercise. This will help to achieve consensus about where investment will deliver the most value and, therefore, where resources should be prioritised.
Based on our experience working with scores of utilities around the world, back-o ce applications are less likely to deliver competitive advantage, so there is a danger that upgrading them will waste precious resources.
You’ve invested significant resources to make ERP fit-for-purpose for you and your business. If they’re stable, why disrupt them?
Free up IT funds
A time-to-value exercise should enable utilities to better navigate the conflicting forces of demand for maximising the value of existing IT investments and impending deadlines such as those imposed by enterprise software vendors. Take SAP, for example.
Customers on the latest versions of the SAP’s ECC6 software face an imminent deadline of 2027 (or 2025 for earlier versions), when SAP intends to end mainstream maintenance support.
Utilities must make decisions about whether to keep their existing ERP applications (and potentially risk being de-supported), go through the long and potentially disruptive exercise of reimplementing these systems, pay SAP an additional fee for extended or customer-specific support that may not fit with budget objectives, or turn to an alternative outside of the SAP vendor mandate.
There are many benefits in choosing independent, third-party support for enterprise software: reduced support costs, which can significantly lower operational expenses; extend asset lifespans, which can avoid costly re-implementations and improve margins by enhancing the utilisation of existing investments; and freedom from vendor constraints, which allows organisations to innovate at their own pace more quickly and without disruption.
For more information, visit riministreet.com/utilities
Rimini Street VP Energy, Utilities and Resources Industry Solutions, Coy Wright. Image: Rimini Street.
An intelligent approach to water security
After a successful eight years of saving water and money for its rural customers, GWMWater is preparing for round two of its rural digital metering program with Taggle.
GWMWater was one of the first Victorian water corporations to implement wide-scale digital water metering to enhance the customer experience and improve network management.
As part of the Rural Pipeline Intelligence Project in 2015-16, GWMWater rolled out 14,000 digital meters and a customer portal to its rural service area.
As these devices are now approaching their end of life, planning is underway for their replacement.
The next generation of digital meters have a conditional battery life of 15 years, further strengthening the business case that was already wellproven during the first deployment.
Furthermore, GWMWater has also implemented the technology across its urban footprint, allowing all customers to benefit from accessing their water consumption data. There are a total of 47,500 digital meters installed across GWMWater’s rural and urban water networks.
Rural water management
Water is precious for rural customers as they generally have larger properties with livestock and crops. Leaks and breaks are common due to shifting soils and damage from livestock, so having access to hourly water consumption data and leak alerts is extremely valuable.
Additional functionality was added to the standard Taggle customer portal, which allows rural customers to track water use against their water allowances – thereby enabling them to make adjustments or trade water as necessary.
The portal also enabled rural landholders to ensure water was running through meters in remote paddocks, without having to physically check them. It also alerted them to potential leaks where water should not be passing through the meter, which was a valuable tool for the community to help save water and money. Rural customers with multiple meters across vast geographic areas have reported that the portal, and specifically the leak alerts, are an asset, saving them both time and money.
Brian Barry, a farmer from Manangatang, said, “My wife logs in to check every now and again, but the leak alert came through as a text message.
The meter is placed in an obscure place so it was great to be alerted because if I didn’t see it, it would have continued for a long time. Usually, I don’t have a lot of trust in new technology but it worked very, very well.”
GWMWater serves a geographic spread of 62,000km2, which is about 30 per cent of Victoria. This creates a challenge when updating infrastructure, however once it is complete, the benefit of not having to regularly visit the meters for another 15 years will be well worth the e ort.
For more information, visit taggle.com.au
The electrical backbone of an icon
With unexpected challenges disrupting construction, Decon’s resilience and adaptability was integral in delivering a major Brisbane urban renewal venture.
As a leading specialist in mechanical electrical and installation of building automation systems, Decon Corporation played an instrumental role in the construction of Brisbane’s iconic Queen’s Wharf development.
Over a demanding four-year period, Decon maintained a consistent on-site presence of between six to 12 skilled electricians and apprentices. This dedicated team navigated the complexities of the project, delivering exceptional results across multiple contracts for five di erent clients under two primary builders. Decon’s scope of work encompassed four critical areas:
• BMS installation: the heart of the building's intelligence, Decon installed approximately 10,000 individually wired BMS points across the precinct. This intricate network ensures seamless operation of the building's systems, from energy management to climate control, ensuring a smart and e cient environment.
• Mechanical electrical installation: Decon installed the electrical infrastructure that powers the Queen’s Wharf’s complex operations and ensures that its extensive HVAC systems and safety services run smoothly.
• Switchboard design and build: through its in-house division, RG Ladd, Decon designed and built more than 20 mechanical services switchboards and 70 control panels.
• Cold and freezer room electrical fit-outs: Decon met specialised electrical requirements for the food and beverage outlets, ensuring that the refrigeration equipment operates optimally, which is crucial for the hospitality venues across the precinct.
Overcoming challenges
Managing a large workforce across multiple fronts while adhering to strict timelines required meticulous planning and experienced leadership. Decon was able to coordinate with multiple end-users and consultants while maintaining quality and e ciency. COVID-19 introduced unprecedented challenges to the construction industry, disrupting timelines and requiring new safety protocols. To overcome these obstacles, Decon implemented
innovative strategies to maintain progress, ensure employee safety, and adapt to changing circumstances.
By using environmentally-friendly and green star-rated products – including best-practice PVC for cables, conduits and fittings – Decon contributed to the Queen’s Wharf precinct’s impressive 6-Star Green Star Communities Rating, aligning with the project’s vision of a sustainable and forward-thinking urban space.
A catalyst for growth
Beyond the technical achievements, the Queen's Wharf project has had a profound social and economic impact on the region. With more than 50 new bars, restaurants, and retail spaces, the precinct has become a central destination, attracting visitors and creating a new social heart for the city.
Queen’s Wharf has created thousands of employment opportunities during both the construction phase and in its ongoing operations. Local businesses have benefited from increased foot tra c, while the tourism sector is set to experience a significant boost from the influx of visitors drawn by the development's entertainment o erings, hotels and public spaces.
Decon is proud to have played a key role in this transformative project, contributing not just to its electrical and mechanical systems, but also to the city’s future prosperity. The Queen’s Wharf precinct is more than just a development; it’s a legacy project that will benefit Brisbane for generations to come.
For more information, visit deconcorp.com.au
A Decon team member on site at the Queen’s Wharf development project. Image: Decon
Streets ahead
Uncoordinated street works can compromise asset integrity and create additional challenges for underground utility renewals.
Asset management is a neverending commitment. Every day, utilities across Australia need to dig up roads to construct or replace critical infrastructure that delivers the essential services we all depend on. At the same time, councils and other road authorities are conducting vital resheeting, re-paving and beautification works to ensure that these roads are fit to service the community.
In these cases, completing works on time with minimal disruptions is a top priority, however, a lack of coordination and communication between asset owners lays the groundwork for failure.
This was the situation that one New South Wales council found itself in. After completing costly rehabilitation works to a section of a main road, the council found out that the local water authority needed to dig up that same section to renew a water main. If the two parties had the opportunity to coordinate their works, then the council could have delayed the rehabilitation work until the water authority had replaced the water main – saving significant costs and avoiding additional disruptions to the community. Unfortunately, this example is an all-too-common situation in the industry. Realising that there needed to be a better way for councils, road authorities and utilities to share their planned work programs, the Streets Opening Coordination Council (SOCC), developed a web-based, GIS-enabled platform, iWORCS (infrastructure WORks Coordination System).
SOCC CEO, Nabil Issa, said that the first generation of iWORCS was deployed
have already seen numerous benefits.
“At the start of our journey, SOCC identified the mechanics of works coordination as an area that needed e ciency improvements to encourage wider participation. Up until then, coordinating work schedules between member organisations was done manually, and sometimes by chance, which was a time-consuming process,” Mr Issa said.
“The target set by SOCC was to have an operational system in place as soon as the concept was proven and development could be funded.
“In 2012, SOCC entered into a partnership arrangement with NSW Land and Property Information (LPI) to take this project forward. A proof of concept was trialed in the Burwood local government area (LGA) in 2013.
“I would like to acknowledge the leadership role of Mr. Michael McMahon, General Manager (then) of Burwood Council, for facilitating access to council resources and implementing the proof of concept in his LGA. The proof of concept was also supported by several other councils and utility asset owners including Jemena, Ausgrid and Sydney Water.
“Burwood Council has a geographic area of only 7km2. Despite its relatively small area, the proof of concept identified that approximately $250,000 could have been saved if all projects completed over the preceding 12-month period had been coordinated.
“The next stage in the journey was to build a scalable commercial platform. SOCC teamed up with a software service provider to build the iWORCS platform, which was completed and implemented in April 2017.”
Over the next seven years, SOCC continued to enhance the platform. In 2024 SOCC partnered with software provider, PelicanCorp, to deliver the next generation of the software and make it available across Australia.
“We chose PelicanCorp because it has been in the business of providing software solutions to councils and utility asset owners in Australia and abroad for more than 20 years,” Mr Issa said.
“SOCC has had a long association with PelicanCorp through the NSW/ACT Dial Before You Dig service. Their first business engagement was to develop the business requirements specification for iWORCS in 2011.”
in New South Wales in 2017 and its users
SOCC CEO, Nabil Issa.
Street smart
SOCC has been dedicated to reducing financial waste and public inconvenience through improved coordination of street works since it was founded in 1909.
With the growth of the City of Sydney’s infrastructure in the early 1900’s and the continual and independent digging of trenches to lay utility services, the need for a coordinating authority was recognised and SOCC was established under direction of the Royal Commission for the Improvement of Sydney and Suburbs. In 1995, SOCC was reconstituted to cover the whole of New South Wales.
Mr Issa said that SOCC’s mission is to foster a culture of collaboration and consensus among member organisations – and this goal was the driving force behind iWORCS.
Uncoordinated street works present several critical challenges, including financial waste, public inconvenience, and reduced asset integrity due to repeated excavation and repairs.
By improving communication among stakeholders, iWORCS ensures that everyone is on the same page, and can identify potential conflicts and opportunities for collaboration early in the project lifecycle.
IWORCS also provides early visibility of works and early email alerts to planners, designers and project managers about upcoming works.
This foresight enables better planning and coordination, reducing the likelihood of overlapping projects and associated costs.
Coordinated planning results in fewer disruptions to road users and prevents unnecessary excavation, minimising social and environmental costs and extending the lifespan of assets.
iWORCS makes light works
As a long-term supporter of both SOCC and iWORCS, the City of Sydney has been working with the platform since the initial pilot.
City of Sydney Senior Engineer, André Aravena, said that it is increasingly important for all levels of government, as well as utility authorities, to explore new opportunities to minimise the impact of underground utility works on the community and to share information for e ciency.
“iWORCS has the potential to deliver on both of these goals,” Mr Aravena said.
“Our infrastructure works programs are extensive and complex, and iWORCS is an automated online platform where government agencies, utilities and councils securely share their future works programs. The program identifies clashes and opportunities so that participants can then coordinate their infrastructure works.
“iWORCS has helped reduce disruption to communities by ensuring that we minimise the number of times works are required for a section of roadway or footway. This results in improved social, environmental and financial outcomes.”
Mr Aravena said the platform recently helped the City of Sydney collaborate with Sydney Water on its Woolloomooloo Wastewater/ Stormwater Separation Project.
“As Sydney Water and the City of Sydney were both using iWORCS, we were able to derive immediate benefits for the community by improving coordination with the City’s Road Resurfacing program and avoiding the cost and disruption of any unnecessary duplicated work,” he said.
Mr Issa said that if utilities and councils don’t have visibility of other each other’s proposed works before undertaking new projects, they’re exposing themselves to unnecessary additional costs, possible delays and reputational risk.
“Works coordination should be an integral part of any project management lifecycle. The cost of joining the collaborating community is insignificant and can turn out to be the best investment councils and utilities can make,” he said.
On a national level, Mr Issa estimates that the potential savings from works coordination to run into tens of millions of dollars annually.
“I encourage road authorities across Australia to make woks coordination mandatory for all future projects involving road works,” Mr Issa said.
“iWORCS is available nationally. Given current sustainability issues and resource constraints, we cannot a ord to continue to ‘fly blind’.
Having visibility of other proposed works gives utilities and councils an unparalleled opportunity to minimise risks and overall project costs.
“The uptake of the second generation of iWORCS (iWORCS II) has been swift. In less than three months, we have had 15 Councils and three utilities sign up, and the collaborating community is growing week after week.”
Mr Aravena said that while iWORCS has already resolved a very long-standing challenge for the City of Sydney Council, it has the potential to deliver even greater benefits for the industry Australia-wide.
“If more organisations sign up to the platform, we will uplift the consistency of approach across the sector and extend its benefits for the community.”
The City of Canterbury Bankstown was to resurface Waterloo Road, Greenacre while Sydney Water was planning to renew its water mains within the same footprint. As both had signed up to iWORCS, they had visibility of each other’s schedules and were able to sequence the work so the water mains were renewed before the road was resurfaced.
Tough, mixed-ground conditions pose huge challenges for microtunnelling equipment, but Australian innovation can help deliver these tricky projects on time.
Mixed terrains, hard rock, and water-saturated soil are some of the most di cult conditions that microtunnelling contractors face, with many projects often deemed too challenging to complete.
To tackle these impossible projects, Edge Underground – a leader in microtunnelling and horizontal drilling, boring and tunnelling – is collaborating with OptionX Bournedrill to design and manufacture cutting-edge equipment and solutions that are purpose-built for these challenges.
Both part of the OptionX Group, Edge Underground and OptionX Bournedrill are committed to Australianmade innovation.
By working closely together, these two Australian companies can modify and enhance equipment to meet the specific needs of challenging projects. This includes integrating new technologies into its drilling systems, such as modifying existing AXIS machines with patented AdaptX technology, creating never-before-seen capabilities.
Meeting challenges head-on Edge Underground's equipment isn’t just a product of engineering know-how – it’s designed to solve real-world problems
and is frequently called upon to complete jobs that are deemed too di cult.
In response, the company has not only adapted but excelled, introducing features like ground-supporting drill rods that maintain accuracy and stability – even when traditional methods would struggle.
One example includes boring through abrasive sandstone combined with wet, saturated ground and a high water table – where maintaining line and grade is critical.
In Sydney, the team recently completed four microtunnels beneath a motorway’s on-ramp in just two weeks, without causing any disruption. This level of precision was made possible by the upgraded AXIS microtunnelling system, which integrates advanced technology like laser tracking and full hydraulic steering to maintain critical accuracy.
In another instance, Edge Underground’s team completed a 610mm microtunnel through cobble-filled terrain, demonstrating the equipment’s versatility in handling the harshest conditions.
For essential service providers, meeting project deadlines is crucial. The e ciency and precision of Edge Underground’s equipment have earned it a reputation for fast turnarounds and reduced lead times.
Whether it’s maintaining the accuracy needed for tight alignments in urban environments or drilling through tough, mixed-ground conditions, Edge Underground ensures that no project is too di cult to complete on time, on-grade and to specification.
A future-ready team
As part of the OptionX Group, Edge Underground has access to cutting-edge drilling technology and expertise that continue to push the boundaries of what's possible.
The company’s exclusive use of the AdaptX machine and collaboration with OptionX Bournedrill ensures that it remains at the forefront of the microtunnelling industry. As demand for its services grows, the company is expanding its workforce, looking for passionate individuals eager to work in a field where precision and innovation are key to success.
Edge Underground’s ability to tackle the most complex utility projects while o ering fast, e cient solutions makes it a standout in the trenchless industry. With Australian-made equipment, a strong commitment to innovation and an ever-growing list of successful projects, Edge Underground is a partner of choice for those looking to solve the impossible.
For more information, visit optionxgroup.com.au
A municipal works, civil and commercial construction event.
17-18 September 2025,
In September 2025, a new event will be landing at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Converge will bring together leading decision makers in the Municipal Works, Civil and Commercial Construction space, to share the tools, ideas and technologies that are shaping these sectors.
Lanco Group encourages its team to adopt new ideas. Image: wutzkohphoto/shutterstock.com
Measuring up
Australia’s workforce is of one its greatest assets and the key to unlocking the development of new critical infrastructure. But the increasing pressures of the growing population, straining economy and new technologies mean that this workforce must adapt in an increasingly di cult environment.
Utilities and their contractors face unprecedented challenges as they strive to hire new employees with the right skills as the current workforce approaches retirement. One of the biggest challenges facing the modern sector is an ageing workforce and insu cient training.
Hiring new people with fresh degrees isn’t the only answer. Opportunity lies
in building on workers’ many years of experience with focused training in new technologies and digital operations. Upskilling not only helps workers find new ways to participate in a changing sector, it also delivers more job security and leads to better job performance.
Lanco Group is a Civil Engineering Consultant that provides professional services in civil engineering designs, hydraulic services (sewer and water supply), project management, contract administration and drafting.
Lanco Group owes its continued success and growth to its strong reliance on innovation, service and, particularly, sta development.
Lanco Group delivers ongoing training for its personnel both in-house and through external providers, to continually develop a strong understanding of design and construction principals, and to stay informed of new technologies and knowledge. Sta members are encouraged to adopt innovative design techniques by applying the latest technologies during both the design phase and construction. By keeping abreast of emerging technologies, personnel can reduce costs and wastage, enhance safety measures and environmental outcomes, and improve the quality of their output.
For more information, visit lancogroup.com.au
Lifting the bar for worksite safety
Cranes serve a vital role in delivering utility assets, but without properly trained operators, these machines can pose a risk to budgets, timelines and safety.
Safety is paramount on any worksite, particularly in construction, where powered equipment, heavy materials and other hazards are commonplace.
Quinlan Cranes Founder and Director, Tom Quinlan, explained that one of the biggest safety concerns on a job site is the personnel.
“If the personnel aren’t trained correctly or their common sense doesn't prevail, that’s where an accident starts and finishes,” Mr Quinlan said.
“As long as we keep up our training and our support, and even our team morale, we can keep worksites safe. And it’s important to communicate to people so that everyone’s on the same page.”
Quinlan Cranes Director, Sacha Sikka, said that when working with utilities, there are unique safety concerns to be aware of.
“The things you worry about most with utilities is that we’re working in and around a lot of live assets,” Mr Sikka said.
“Collisions or contact with any of those live assets is something that is always on your mind.”
No room to fail
Mr Quinlan said ensuring that you have the right, well-maintained machinery keeps equipment failures to a minimum.
“Many utilities are working in shutdown environments or within permits where you have a limited number of days to get the job done. So, you just can't have cranes breaking down.
“We’re very big on supplying the right crane for the right job, even if we have to go and find the machine, we'll find it. We also hold an ISO accreditation for Quality, Safety and Environment, and all our procedures are in line with that,” Mr Quinlan said.
“Our preventative maintenance system means that when we go to a site, especially a high-risk site, we can be confident that the crane will be in perfect working condition.”
Mr Sikka said that in the utilities industry, where projects are often high risk, it’s important to work with a provider that is reputable and committed to excellence.
“In the utility space, people understand the importance of doing things properly. We’re in the industry of doing things right the first time and not coming back.”
One of the biggest safety concerns on a job site is the personnel.
For Quinlan Cranes, this means ensuring that all its team members are well-trained and equipped with the right knowledge and tools to tackle complex projects.
“You know what you're going to get from us. Sacha and I are directors at the company but we're still out there looking at jobs and talking to our customers. We’re in there from the start, planning and looking at the ways we can mitigate these risks that are inherent in our industry,” Mr Quinlan said.
Mr Sikka said that this approach enabled Quinlan Cranes to help restore power after extreme weather knocked down six high voltage towers in Anakie during the February 2024 storms.
“They called us to come out there because even though there was a big push, they could trust us to maintain all our safety non-negotiables,” Mr Sikka said.
“Good people, good planning –that’s what we do.”
For more information, visit quinlancranes.com.au
Image: Quinlan Cranes
Utilities converging for the future
The who’s who of civil construction will unite to showcase the cutting-edge tools, ideas and technologies that will shape future utility projects at a new event in 2025.
The inaugural Converge expo will descend on the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 17–18 September 2025 and will host top decision-makers from the industry.
Converge will cater to utilities and asset managers, providing unparalleled exposure to the latest equipment, tools and technologies delivering premium construction outcomes for the utility, commercial and civil construction industries.
From pipeline installation equipment to the latest technology, the exhibition will serve as a
one-stop-shop for utility managers and subcontractors, with a special focus on emissions-free technology.
Civil construction and maintenance will also be a key focus of the event. Tier 1 to 3 contractors will gain exclusive insights into the latest equipment and technology reshaping the industry. Leaders from major civil works projects will share their knowledge on Victoria’s Big Build and the state’s ten-year, $120 billion infrastructure pipeline.
As Australia’s only one-stop-shop for municipal works and major civil construction, the event promises an
immersive experience that takes utility operators on a journey from the small scale to the large.
More than just an exhibition, attendees can expect equipment showcases, live demonstrations and thought-provoking conference spaces o ering invaluable insight to drive future development and maintenance across Australia’s utility networks.
In addition to hands-on tools and machinery, Converge will also have a dedicated zone o ering live demonstrations of the latest software transforming commercial construction.
These technologies will play a crucial role in engaging communities with the works being carried out in their backyards and are vital to securing the social license needed to proceed positively with projects.
Building connections
Converge attendees and exhibitors will benefit from extensive media coverage in the lead up, during and after the event, with exposure to an accumulated audience of decision makers totalling more than one million people.
“Whether you’re an engineer, asset manager, project or procurement manager, or even a subcontractor,
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Converge is the event for you,” show director Lauren Chartres said.
“Built by Australians, for Australian construction, we’ve designed the event as a one-stop shop, where attendees can gather all the information they need to enhance their municipal and civil construction projects now and into the future.
“Our focus is on ensuring di erent sectors within the construction industry can learn from one another and gain the valuable insights they need to deliver on their ultimate goal: executing complex construction developments on time, on budget and to the highest standard.”
Converge o ers a range of opportunities for utility employees and companies servicing the sector. Early bird stand enquiries, conference speaking positions and sponsorship opportunities are available now.
To learn more, head to convergeexpo.com.au
BETTER DISINFECTION CHEAPER
Reconciliation with purpose
Interflow has partnered with GO Foundation in its goal to improve lives with action and engage in meaningful reconciliation.
Leading provider of pipeline infrastructure solutions, Interflow, has entered a partnership with the Goodes O’Loughlin Foundation (GO) to provide young Indigenous people with vital funding towards the foundation’s scholarship and cultural support program.
Interflow Executive Manager of People and Capability, Tracy Keevers, is proud of this occasion in the history of the company. She believes that while there are many reasons Interflow has thrived for more than 85 years, they’re not all related to the innovative solutions the organisation provides to water authorities and councils.
“It is strongly related to the organisation’s purpose, which has always been about improving the lives of the people we work with and of those within the communities we serve,” Ms Keevers said.
“As a family business, we have always taken care of the people that worked within the business. That philosophy hasn’t changed, but it has grown to include the lives of people outside the business, too.”
Founded by proud Indigenous men and AFL legends Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin – the ‘G’ and ‘O’ of GO Foundation – the organisation provides scholarships for Indigenous children during primary school, high school and university, putting culture at the heart of everything it does.
The holistic program creates opportunities for young Indigenous people by focusing on the students’ identity, culture and wider community as they complete their education.
The GO Foundation partnership ties in deeply with Interflow’s Reflect Reconciliation Action Plan, currently in its third year, which is focused on
building strong foundations to engage in meaningful reconciliation.
“Part of it is down to the industry we’re in. We really want to learn about sustainable land practices and have a closer connection to Country as an organisation,” Ms Keevers said.
“At the same time, we want to have a long-lasting, positive e ect on communities, and that’s what GO Foundation is all about. It is very grassroots. Every dollar we give will make a di erence to Indigenous children staying at school.”
In partnering with GO Foundation, which has been making a di erence to Indigenous student education for 15 years, Interflow becomes a part of the achievement of a grand goal.
Having funded more than 660 scholarships to date, the GO Foundation wants that number to get to 1000 active scholarships, and Ms Keevers said Interflow is proud to support that goal.
“Maybe in the future, Interflow will be able to o er positions to candidates who have come through the program, but it’s really not about that,” Ms Keevers said. “If we’re truly committed to reconciliation and truly committed to improving lives, we need to put our money where our mouth is and do something about it.
“This is about us having a positive, powerful, long-term impact for generations to come.”
For more information, visit interflow.com.au
We’re Creating the Future of Water for people and communities, for generations to come
Leading the energy transition for all
By Renae Gasmier, EnergyAustralia Head of Customer Assets
Consumers will play a key role in the clean energy transformation, and EnergyAustralia is working to build a future energy system that works for everyone.
Our energy system is changing fast. What is increasingly clear is that as rooftop solar continues to grow and the uptake of electric vehicles (EVs) and small-scale batteries accelerates, we are rapidly moving to a much more decentralised energy system.
A record 5.9GW of renewable capacity was added to the grid in 2023, compared to 5GW in 2022. Of that 2023 total, 3.1GW was provided by rooftop solar, while 2.8GW came from utility-scale renewable generation.
The shift is being driven by three factors. First, technology is getting better and cheaper, so more people can generate and store their own energy. Second, virtual power plants (VPPs) are now developing to connect all small individual energy producers into powerful generation networks. Finally, changes in the way we price energy are making it worthwhile for people and businesses to produce and use energy e ciently.
Our strategy at EnergyAustralia recognises this shift. We are thinking di erently about the future, with big ideas such as VPPs and how they are supported by consumer assets like our Solar Home Bundle, Battery Ease and Sun-Soaked Water to enable the transition to net zero.
We want to make the energy transition simple for customers by incorporating behind-the-meter solutions into our growing flexible energy portfolio.
In our customer asset business, we’re establishing ourselves to play an orchestration role, supporting good energy choices for our customers and
EnergyAustralia Head of Customer Assets, Renae Gasmier. Image: EnergyAustralia
the broader energy system and creating new value for our business alongside our portfolio of flexible assets.
The future is already looking very di erent to the past. Big generation assets have been the driving force in our industry for decades. Electricity travels a great distance from large power stations through the poles and wires to the customer. At the end of the line, there is the customer who has the same needs as every other household and simply receives a bill.
But as we move to an increasingly decentralised system, we are now fast approaching the point where solar will be a must-have feature for the family home and enable a property to be sold at the best price.
We know that after people buy their first home, their next major purchase is likely to be a new car. Increasingly, this will be an electric car.
In this new ecosystem, consumers will likely look for a di erent relationship
with their energy retailer. That’s because our customers’ homes are, in e ect, our generation fleet.
As retailers, we will need to know our customers much better because the term “mass market” simply won’t apply to energy. By putting consumers at the centre and gaining their trust, they will be more willing to share the generation and storage assets in their homes with us. They will in turn be rewarded and see benefits from the relationship.
This will allow us to make decisions in the interests of the customer and the broader community. The big idea is that we can create a VPP for every community by combining thousands of small-scale energy resources.
This will benefit those customers who share their assets, help the community with a more reliable grid, and accelerate our journey to net zero.
The importance of this orchestration model is that Australia needs consumers who can a ord home solar, an electric
car, or a residential battery to stay on the grid. Without them, many in the community will be left behind and the transition will come at a higher cost.
I’m thinking of households that can’t a ord to invest in energy-management systems, solar panels, home batteries or an electric vehicle. Or people who live in an apartment or who rent and cannot physically install these assets.
It was great to see the 2023 announcement in New South Wales that VPPs could participate in the Capacity Investment Scheme, which supports more consumer assets operating alongside large storage. We need more of this type of innovative thinking.
In another great example, the New South Wales Government recently announced it would give households up to $2400 to install a battery to store solar energy and as much as $400 to connect a battery to a VPP. With more than one million homes in the state
A record 5.9GW of renewable capacity was added to the grid in 2023. Image: Owlie Productions/shutterstock.com
with solar panels on and eligible for the incentive, it’s a game-changer.
Our purpose at EnergyAustralia is to lead and accelerate the clean energy transformation for all. As consumers choose to take more control, it creates purpose-led business opportunities for us to facilitate the shift toward customer assets and a more decentralised energy system.
This is reflected in our ambition for the customer asset business to power Australia on rooftops and in car parks through VPPs.
It also provides us with new opportunities to bundle products for homes and businesses and create new customer relationships for future growth. For example, we are completing trials for a new product called Sun-Soaked Water, where we are orchestrating the operating times for individual customer hot water systems.
If you think about it, almost everyone has an electric hot water system.
It’s basically a water battery sitting inside our home.
These hot water systems traditionally heat up at night, a time when there is no solar and coal base load is supporting the system, and emissions are higher.
Sun-Soaked Water orchestrates the operating time of participating customer hot water systems from night to daytime when it can ‘soak up’ high solar penetration. At scale, the product also delivers broad system benefits and reduces emissions.
We have also launched our new Battery Ease project, which allows us to link individual home solar and batteries to our VPP. This allows us to provide the community with large amounts of surplus electricity from batteries at times of peak demand, keeping the network stable and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
We are also working with governments and distribution companies to establish community batteries. These are an emerging asset class with significant potential to deliver value to consumers.
Community batteries are mediumsized and can store excess energy from a significant number of nearby homes with rooftop solar panels. The energy is
stored for everyone participating in the community battery project to use during times of peak energy demand.
Most recently, we’ve been working with Ausgrid to utilise its new community battery network tari , which will be the first time the recognition of expensive network augmentation is foregone, providing consumers with more a ordable energy.
The important point is that these innovations need all parties – networks and retailers – to work toward the same goal.
Of course, community batteries are more complex than home batteries, so we also need to be clear with consumers about what they can expect from participating in these projects.
We are also working with Ausgrid on another trial that uses a new network tari involving dynamic two-way pricing, and with South Australian Power Network on the ARENA-funded Energy Masters pilot.
These pilots are providing valuable customer insights about the appetite for new energy products in the home.
We can see a world in which by 2030 our small-scale customer assets aggregated in a VPP could be the size of one of today’s fossil fuel plants.
The size of the transition is enormous – and so is the opportunity. Some estimates suggest that the almost 12 million households in our target market of Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia will spend in excess of $50 billion on customer energy assets between now and 2030.
This includes solar and residential battery installations, community batteries, EVs and home electrification.
Electrification provides further upside. The Australian Energy Market Operator has forecast that an additional 7tWh of energy will be required by 2030 to support the growth in EVs and gas replacement.
EnergyAustralia believes consumers will play a key role in shaping our future energy system. Together with the right policy and regulatory settings, we believe rapid growth in customer assets will support a reliable, cheap and clean energy system that works for customers, drives new economic and business opportunities, and accelerates our transition to net zero.
Skytech rocks the suburbs without disruption
In a digital world, fast and reliable internet is more important than ever – but providing this service in built-up areas without disturbing local communities can be a challenge.
The rollout of the national broadband network (nbn) continues to bring phone and internet infrastructure up to speed with the needs of modern Australia.
Conducting these works in established areas with busy streets full of homes and businesses, while maintaining safety protocols and minimum disruption, is more than a nice-to-have; how a contractor works and the impact upon the neighbourhood and nearby businesses can mean the di erence between a one-o job and ongoing partnerships with asset owners.
Vermeer’s D23x30DR S3 horizontal directional drill (HDD) features a lowprofile design and powerful engine that can handle even the toughest ground conditions, all while being one of the quietest options on the market.
With its compact footprint and low machine noise, the D23x30DR S3 is an ideal machine for nbn projects in built-up areas, allowing operators easy access to condensed spaces and the ability to complete works quickly and quietly, minimising disruption to surrounding communities.
HDD success
Skytech Group is a leading nbn works provider, working primarily in established areas to construct the underground infrastructure for the nbn to extend its cable network footprint.
When it came time to invest in a new drill, Skytech Group General Manager, Marc Rodrigues, said the company decided to purchase Vermeer’s D23x30DR S3 for its nbn works after
careful consideration of all the options on the market.
“The D23x30DR S3 presented as a highly capable rock drilling machine that still maintains a small enough footprint to ensure an optimised site set up for our clients,” Mr Rodrigues said.
“It can balance capability and power to drill in rock conditions and is nimble enough to set up in typical suburban areas.”
Importantly, Mr Rodrigues said that the D23x30DR S3 allows Skytech Group to continue works in high-density areas with a smaller, quieter machine that keeps disruptions to nearby communities to a minimum.
“Additionally, enabling the site set-up to be as compact and low-impact as
possible to surrounding residents and businesses allows us to adapt to the situation and still achieve our desired operational outcome,” he said.
According to Mr Rodrigues, Vermeer Australia’s customer support through sales and maintenance at the local Derrimut branch factored heavily when deciding which machine to purchase.
“Adrian and the team at Vermeer Australia in Derrimut have, on multiple occasions, been on hand to provide quality advice and support and in some instances have personally delivered key items to site to ensure we can continue our operations with minimum downtime,” he said.
“That’s just another reason we’re so happy with our choice.”
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ALL TORQUE - IN THE BEST KIND OF WAY.
The the D23x30 S3 Navigator®️ horizontal directional drill is one of the quietest drills on the HDD market. With a 100 hp (74.6 kW) Tier 4 Final or Tier 3 (EU Stage IIIA) engine optional, the D23x30 S3 offers speed and power in a short, narrow footprint to help increase productivity when working in compact urban or commercial job sites. Get in touch with your local HDD specialists today.
Supporting the culvert relining process
SergeyKlopotov/shutterstock.com
Corrugated pipes, typically favoured for use in culvert installations, come in a range of materials with their own unique properties, advantages and disadvantages.
Modern plastic culvert pipes are made from either corrugated or double-sided PVC (polyvinyl chloride) or HDPE (high-density polyethylene). They are lightweight, corrosion-resistant, cost-e ective, and relatively easy to transport and install. However, they are not designed for heavy duty or heavy tra c applications.
Steel culvert pipes are relatively lightweight, enabling ease of transport and installation. They are also somewhat flexible, to suit uneven ground and areas that experience ground movement. However, as with any metal
that is constantly exposed to water, there is potential for galvanisation and thus corrosion.
Rather than replacing culverts that are failing, certain rehabilitation methods like slip lining enable the culvert to be restored instead of being replaced. This process minimises disruption and costs and extends the life of the structure.
Culvert slip lining involves the installation of a new pipe within the old culvert and the annulus between the old culvert and the new pipe is often grouted.
Kwik-ZIP General Manager, Paul Je reys, said that Kwik-ZIP’s HDX
and HDXT products are suitable for installation on and in corrugated pipe. As a result, they are ideal for use on culvert slip lining rehabilitation projects. The products are adaptable and versatile, able to work on corrugated pipe which is being inserted into a smooth pipe and function on a smooth pipe that’s then being inserted into a corrugated pipe. For corrugated carrier pipe, the flat base of the HDXT and HDX runners bridge the pitch of the corrugations which allows the load to be transferred to the carrier pipe via the full length of the runners.
Culvert slip lining involves the installation of a new pipe within the old culvert. Image:
Additionally, if the enveloper is corrugated, the HDX and HDXT flat-wear pads allow for smooth slip lining along the invert. Mr Je reys said Kwik-ZIP’s innovation when it comes to its solutions are one of the many reasons its products are the first choice for many when looking for a versatile spacer solution.
“Kwik-ZIP’s spacer solutions help to increase the lifespan of pipelines. They contain no metal parts that would promote corrosion and feature a loadsharing suspension system designed to support heavy loads, which is especially crucial when the pipe is filled with water.
“These spacers allow for good grout flow and minimise voids during the grouting process. They firmly grip the pipe surface on anti-slip rubber pads that prevent spacer dislodgement during the installation process and thus maintaining the correct spacer intervals.”
Kwik-ZIP maintains a focus on coste ectiveness, simplicity, and rapid on-site assembly, to ensure that its spacer solutions deliver significant cost, time and operational advantages to customers.
For more information, visit kwikzip.com
Preparing Sydney’s north-west for growth
Sydney Water’s $90 million upgrade to the North West Growth Area aims to provide essential water infrastructure that will secure the city’s future housing development.
Sydney’s north-west is becoming an increasingly popular place to live. With the area’s population expected to increase dramatically in the coming years, the New South Wales Government is investing in developing the housing and supporting infrastructure that will support this growth.
The area is expected to have 17,000 homes by mid-2025 and 33,000 homes by 2026. Once fully developed, it is estimated to be home to around 250,000 people.
Sydney Water Senior Project Manager, James Paton, said that the North West Growth Area is an important area for Sydney Water and for Sydney as a whole.
“We’re expecting 150,000 people to come to the area over the next few years and Sydney Water is trying to support that additional growth through the delivery of our drinking water and wastewater projects,” Mr Paton said.
“There’s a number of di erent upgrades that we’re undertaking. There are new drinking water mains to service Marsden Park and the Marsden Park Industrial Precinct. We’re also extending some existing drinking water mains in the area as well.”
Mr Paton said that there are a number of pressure main works and other modifications being undertaken to improve wastewater services in the Marsden Park, Riverstone, Vineyard and Box Hill areas.
“It’s essentially to enable growth to continue expanding and have reliable water and wastewater services.
“The overall project itself has been
going on for a number of years. Through 2021-23 the project went through concept design and detailed design, and now construction has been going since July 2023.
“The drinking water components are 80 per cent complete. The wastewater sections are approximately 70 per cent complete.”
The wastewater works are expected to be completed and operational in 2025.
Better outcomes for all
Mr Paton explained that Sydney Water has a number of internal specialists that help it to deliver positive environmental and community outcomes through the
project, from design to construction.
“Our delivery partners also have resources that are specific for enabling positive outcomes.
“With this project, management of the noise impact was one of the higher risk factors for us because we’re going through a number of residential areas and at night too.
“That was one of the big environmental factors that we needed to try and mitigate. Notifications for the community is one thing, and also just trying to implement strategies and mitigation measures so we can actually reduce the noise of our construction.”
Mr Paton said that it was important
to consult with the community on these measures.
“We survey the community and get feedback from them such as; when are the best times and days? Do they want us to and work five days a week and complete the project quicker, or would they rather an extra respite day and a four-day week even though the project will take longer?
“That’s the sort of consultation we do with the community. That goes a long way and really helps everyone. We are a part of the community, and we try and work with the community to provide better outcomes for them and for the environment.”
The wastewater works are expected to be completed and operational in 2025.
Images: Sydney Water
Servicing new developments
Mr Paton said that many of the works being undertaken as part of the project are to amplify existing systems to accommodate for future growth and developments.
“Otherwise, the communities wouldn't receive the reliable pressure or the water quality that they expect from a high-class water provider such as Sydney Water.”
Mr Paton said that for the majority of cases, open-trench was the most e cient technique and the most commonly used.
“There are obviously exceptions to that. Sometimes we need to use microtunnelling to avoid impacting on the roads, the rail lines, or the developer's property that we need to go underneath. Depending on the depth of cover, this also minimises disturbances to landowners and their tenants, leading to the best outcome for the project.”
Mr Paton said that microtunnelling is more complex and more technical than open-trenching.
“It does take a little bit longer to undertake and a little bit more time to design.
“On this project, we can construct shafts approximately 10m deep, and then we microtunnel underneath the property, and that essentially removes any impact to the surface other than the construction shafts themselves.
“We really minimise impact to the local businesses in that area, and also to the road and the rails. It’s essential that we work with the service providers such as Sydney Trains and the local council, to make sure we reduce impact to those main thoroughfares.”
Project challenges
Mr Paton said that as with any project the North West water upgrade has faced a number of challenges, the biggest of which was di culty with pipe alignments and minimising the disruptions caused by the works.
“For example, with a drinking water line, our alignment was through a main road because we needed to avoid and maintain access to all the other services, as well as trying to minimise impact to the bus routes, local tra c and council activities.
“In terms of wastewater challenges, where possible we minimised our
long-term impacts to private properties. To minimise our footprint and easement impacts, we tried to consolidate pipes where possible. That was a benefit of utilising the microtunnelling – we were able to combine a number of pipes within a larger encasing pipe, which really reduced the impact to the land above and future use of the land in the future.
“It’s not always possible, because we’re an essential service and we need to have our assets in the ground – sometimes long before the land is developed – but we really try to work with landowners to try and minimise our impacts when possible, and that was a significant challenge on this project.”
Looking to the future
Mr Paton explained that a number of the works undertaken in this project are designed to become building blocks for future development e orts.
“Some of what we’re doing I would call enabling works for future projects. We're getting through pinch points, and we’ve brought sections of future projects forward into this project.
“For example, as part of one of our microtunnelling sections we’ve included a future pipe for that section, so we won’t have to re-disturb those areas and have to impact the trains or the roads or the developer’s property.
“By bringing those forward, the future projects can then easily be connected onto the pipe we've already done, and they will have a more e cient timeframe and cost moving forward.”
Mr Paton said that Sydney Water values the support of its delivery partners.
“We couldn't do this without them and they have been critical for getting where we are at the moment and ultimately to finishing these projects.
“They’ve been essential to what we do, to doing it safely and e ciently in both time and cost. It’s really good to have the experts in their field along on the project, we couldn't do it without them. It’s great to have that support from our delivery partners.”
> Still the market leaders in laser guided microtunnelling
> Bore diameters from 325mm up to 2800mm
> Specialists in ‘free bore’, sleeve boring and pipe jacking in all sizes
> Used for gravity sewers, water mains, storm water, gas and electrical conduits.
The Next Generation in Trenchless Technology
Tackling tough Tassie terrain
Groundbreaking trenchless solutions overcame geological challenges to protect a precious Tasmanian waterway.
in action.
As one of the largest projects of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere, TasWater’s New Sewer Pipeline Project was designed to significantly reduce the frequency and volume of overflow events into the Kanamaluka / Tamar Estuary.
Pipeline Drillers Group (PDG) executed the horizontal directional drilling (HDD) works, achieving a result that stands as a significant accomplishment in the trenchless industry.
PDG installed two 900mm highdensity polyethylene sewer pipelines under the river, spanning 660m and 1100m at depths reaching up to 45m. However, the team was met with a variety of di cult geological conditions, including large cobbles and sti , sticky clay. These troublesome ground conditions required creative engineering solutions to ensure the successful completion of both bores.
To overcome these challenges, PDG used steep, non-standard entry and exit
angles – up to 18 degrees – to avoid adverse soil conditions, such as boulder-rich layers. The bore paths also incorporated compounded vertical and horizontal bend radii to avoid deep channels with poor underlying ground conditions.
The sticky clay presented its own set of problems. Traditional drilling fluid struggled to break down the material, so the team trialled di erent mud formulations to improve e ciency. The tooling design was also adjusted to better handle the clay and keep annular pressure below critical levels, avoiding potential issues with bore stability.
Breaking new ground
One of the project’s standout features was the use of the large-diameter 1400mm casing at both ends of the bores to overcome the adverse ground conditions. The team installed four lengths of casing via a pneumatic pipe ramming hammer up to 116m.
The casings facilitated the HDD process by stabilising the extremely challenging upper ground conditions, ensuring the integrity of the borehole for pipe installation. In addition, custom-made augers were deployed to clean out the casing and remove boulders up to 450mm in diameter. To overcome the challenges posed by the length and size of the installation, PDG employed a unique dual rig intersect methodology, which eliminates the need for traditional drill fluid return lines. This approach involved drilling two pilot holes from opposite ends of the bore and having them meet at a predetermined point under the river. Given the complexity of this technique, particularly with the river crossing, a Gyro steering tool was essential in achieving the necessary accuracy. Despite the logistical challenges of mobilising the equipment and tooling from Brisbane to Tasmania, PDG’s meticulous planning ensured the project stayed on schedule.
Additionally, noise barrier walls were installed to minimise disruptions to the local community, while weather-related delays were mitigated by high-quality access pads built at the outset.
Rising to the challenge
The New Sewer Pipeline Project was completed on time and with no environmental or safety incidents. The installation not only improved local infrastructure but also contributed to the long-term health of Kanamaluka / Tamar Estuary.
PDG’s innovative use of HDD allowed for minimal disruption to the community while providing a sustainable solution to a pressing environmental issue – a prime example of how trenchless technology can provide e ective, low-impact solutions to complex infrastructure challenges.
For more information, visit pdgroup.com.au
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On site at the Western Rising Main HDD project. Image: Pipeline Drillers
With over two decades of expertise in trenchless technology, our proudly Australian-owned company has grown from strength to strength. Boasting 11 cutting-edge directional drilling rigs, 2 pneumatic pipe rammers and a skilled team of over 40, we’re your go-to for HDD projects of any scale.
The rapid integration of Inverter Based Resources (IBR) such as wind and solar power generation is transforming the power grid, challenging the traditional reliance on synchronous generators (SGs) for stability. As the share of IBR increases, grid-forming inverters (GFMs), are emerging as critical components in maintaining a stable and reliable power system.
The role of IBR
Unlike SGs, which impose strict frequency and voltage boundaries, IBR o er greater operational flexibility.
Inverters can be broadly classified into two main categories based on their interaction with the grid: grid-forming and grid-following (with grid-supporting capabilities).
Grid-following inverters passively adhere to the grid’s characteristics, often with some grid-supporting capabilities such as providing ancillary services like voltage control. GFM on the other hand, possess the unique capability to independently establish and control the grid’s voltage and frequency, making them indispensable in scenarios with low or no SG presence.
GFMs also enable the formation and operation of microgrids. Image: petovarga/shutterstock.com
The cornerstone of future grids GFMs o er several advantages in the evolving power grid. They can emulate the inertial response of SGs, crucial for maintaining frequency stability as RES penetration increases and system inertia decreases. GFMs also enable the formation and operation of microgrids, which are essential for providing reliable power in remote areas and enhancing overall grid resilience.
However, the adoption of GFMs is not without challenges. Their control algorithms are inherently more complex than those of grid-following or grid-supporting inverters, requiring advanced modelling and real-time processing capabilities.
The cost of GFMs can also be higher due to their sophisticated features
and high-reliability components. Furthermore, the coordination of multiple GFMs in a grid necessitates careful design and management to prevent adverse interactions and stability issues.
A double-edged sword
The use of multiple GFMs in a power system can bring significant benefits, such as improved grid reliability and resilience due to decentralised control and increased redundancy.
However, it’s important to acknowledge the complexities that arise with multiple GFMs. If not properly coordinated, they can interact negatively, leading to issues like oscillations, frequency instability, and voltage regulation problems.
Additionally, integrating and managing multiple GFMs requires advanced communication and control systems, which can raise concerns about scalability and cost. Therefore, careful management of these factors is crucial to ensure the economic viability of deploying multiple GFMs
The road ahead
As the power grid transitions towards a future with higher levels of IBR penetration, GFMs are poised to play a pivotal role in ensuring grid stability and reliability.
Their ability to independently form and stabilise the grid o ers significant advantages but also presents challenges in terms of control complexity, cost, and coordination. With continued research and technological advancements, GFMs are expected to become increasingly prevalent in future power grids, facilitating the seamless integration of renewable energy sources and contributing to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.
Understanding Power System
Dynamics with High Levels of Gridforming Inverters is a research project funded by the Reliable, A ordable, Clean, Energy (RACE) for 2030 Cooperative Research Centre and in collaboration with Curtin University, Powerlink, and Queensland University of Technology (QUT)
Pipe Penetration Seal Solutions
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Industry movements
We round up the key appointments, resignations and other staff changes within the utility sector.
Sydney Water
Niall Blair has been appointed as a Director at Sydney Water. Mr Blair’s appointment continues a long career of service to the people of New South Wales, including as Minister for Primary Industries, Trade, and Industry and Regional Water.
GAWB
The Queensland Government has appointed Councillor Kahn Goodluck as a Director to the Board of Gladstone Area Water Board (GAWB), replacing outgoing Director, Peter Masters.
WaterNSW
WaterNSW has appointed Professor Catherine Bennett to its Board of Directors and her three-year term commenced in August 2024.
Central Highlands Water
Central Highlands Water (CHW) has appointed proud Gunditjmara woman, Renee Bosworth, as an Independent Aboriginal Delegate to its Board. Ms Bosworth appointment commenced in August 2024, and she is CHW’s second Independent Aboriginal Delegate to be appointed since 2023.
NBN Co
The NBN Co Board has appointed Ellie Sweeney as its new CEO, commencing in December 2024. Ms Sweeney will join the company from Vocus, where she has served as both CEO and COO.
Marinus Link
Marinus Link CEO, Caroline Wykamp, resigned e ective 30 August 2024. Marinus Link Chief Financial O cer, Andrew Hugo, will be Acting CEO until a permanent replacement is appointed.
AEMC
The Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) has appointed two new Commissioners, Lana Stockman and Rainer Korte, e ective from 30 September 2024.
Ms Stockman brings more than 15 years of leadership experience in the energy and infrastructure sectors, including seven years as a regulator and board member with the New Zealand Electricity Authority. Her career includes senior roles at major energy and infrastructure companies including Aurizon Network, and EnergyAustralia.
Prior to joining the AEMC, Mr Korte was responsible for overseeing the delivery of safe, reliable and sustainable electricity transmission services to customers, while leading key energy transformation initiatives in South Australia.
AER
Kate Symons has been appointed to the Board of the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). Most recently, Ms Symons was Chair of the Essential Services Commission in Victoria. Ms Symons will commence with the AER on 26 September 2024.
AEC
The Australian Energy Council (AEC) has appointed former Jacana Energy CEO, Louisa Kinnear, as its new Chief Executive. Ms Kinnear left her role as CEO of Jacana Energy after four years at the helm. She previously worked for Synergy and Western Power as well as the Water Corporation of Western Australia.
Endeavour Energy
Endeavour Energy has appointed two of its highly experienced team members to its executive leadership team. Colin Crisafulli has been promoted to General Manager, Future Grid & Asset Management. David Campbell has been appointed as General Manager Safety & Operations.
AusNet
AusNet has announced a new operating model and executive leadership team. The new leadership team will provide increased focus on four lines of business: electricity transmission, electricity distribution, gas and metering, and contestable energy infrastructure. Changes to the executive team include:
• Liz Ryan will lead the Victorian Electricity Transmission business
• Andrew Linnie will lead the Victorian Electricity Distribution business
• Fran Duiker will lead the Victorian Gas and Metering business (Acting)
• Jon D’Sylva will lead AusNet’s contestable Development and Future Networks business
• The four lines of business will be supported by five enabling functions:
• Mark Ellul, Chief Financial O cer
• Bridget Cairns, Executive General Manager People and Safety
• Amanda Robertson, Executive General Manager Compliance, Risk and Corporate A airs
• Chris Galland, Chief Technology O cer (Acting)
• Sarah Hannah, Executive General Manager Group Operations (Acting)
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