Powerlink has completed construction of the tallest ever transmission towers on its network as part of works to connect the Kaban Green Power Hub to the electricity grid. Neoen’s 157MW Kaban Green Power Hub was currently being built as the cornerstone project of the state’s first Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (QREZ).
“The Northern QREZ involves delivering both the Kaban Green Power Hub and upgrading the capacity of the existing coastal transmission network between Townsville and Cairns,” said Powerlink's chief executive, Paul Simshauser. “This will strengthen the transmission network’s resiliency, security and reliability, and unlock an additional 500MW of capacity for connecting additional renewable energy projects in Far North Queensland. The Kaban Green Power Hub is a major boost for the area, supporting 250 jobs and delivering cleaner power to 100,000 Queensland homes."
Simshauser said building the three transmission towers required to connect the Kaban Green Power Hub to the electricity grid was no easy feat. Soaring an impressive 85 meters into the air, these towers were assembled on-site using cranes stretching more than 100 meters in height. This new stretch of transmission line will cross directly over an existing 275kV line, increasing the technical complexity of the project.“Our specialized crews performed the tower assembly work with absolute precision, with the two tallest towers each comprising 75 tons of steel atop 20 cubic meters of concrete foundations, extending up to six meters underground," Simshauser said.
Work is now underway to complete stringing of the newly-built towers, which involves threading and tensioning the powerline wires between the towers using a drone.
CleanCo, a Queensland energy services company, claimed the project was an important part of CleanCo’s growth strategy in Queensland.
“We are simultaneously growing our customer base and our access to energy so that we can provide tailored solutions to our large-scale commercial and industrial customers, supporting them to decarbonize,” Jacqui Walter, CleanCo chair. “With CleanCo taking 100% of the energy from this project, it will be a major boost to our commitment to support the entry of 1400 MW of new renewable energy into the market by 2025.”
Neoen Managing Director Louis de Sambucy congratulated Powerlink for completing the transmission towers at Kaban, and thanked the Powerlink team for delivering this critical component and for their continued commitment to the project.
Construction of Powerlink’s Kaban Green Power Hub Connection Project is expected to be complete by Oct. 2022, weather dependent.
