In a milestone for the Queensland-New South Wales Interconnector (QNI) project, six 90 tonne transformers have arrived on site and 48 transmission pole structures have been installed in NSW’s North West.
Project Director, Dany Gittani, said, “We are excited to see significant progress on this project which will increase the transfer of electricity between the states when needed and provide customers with access to reliable, lowest cost electricity.
“The new transformers have arrived from China and they will be installed at existing substations at Tamworth and Dumaresq to boost transfer capacity. Their delivery to site and installation marks a significant milestone for the project.”
The interconnector upgrade involves improvements to substations and transmission lines at Dumaresq, Armidale and Tamworth. The works will make it easier and more efficient to share power across the National Energy Market, helping put downward pressure on customer bills.
The project is expected to provide net benefits of $170 million to electricity customers and producers and create about 155 jobs.
The six single phase transformers, which are an integral component of the static var compensator (SVC) technology provided by Siemens Energy, will boost interstate transmission capacity and increase power flow on existing lines – providing greater voltage stability and regulation on the network.
With the project expected to be completed by December 2021, teams are on schedule with the erection of 48 of the 58 twin steel pole structures along the existing transmission line alignment. These taller structures increase the capacity of the transmission lines and enable the system to carry more power.
The QNI project was approved in April 2020 by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) and was fast tracked with the support of the Federal and NSW Governments, which provided a joint agreement to facilitate the upgrade.
For more information about the project, click here.
