Work has begun on a $2.4-million project to upgrade power supply in the Seaforth area, Queensland, Australia. Ergon Energy’s General Manager Operations Steve Leighton said clearing and access along the 14 km line route between McKinley Creek substation and Seaforth began in late September.
“As part of the work to establish the new line route, residents and motorists will notice clearing activity along the Yakapari to Seaforth Road at both McKinley and Neilson Creeks adjacent to the bridges and also in Howells Road. All necessary Environmental and Cultural Heritage approvals have been obtained.”
“The new line will duplicate the existing 11,000-V feeder to the area and will also provide us with alternative switching arrangements during times of contingency on the local distribution network meaning quicker restoration and response times to any localised problems” he said.
Mr Leighton said the project honored a commitment given to the Seaforth, Ball Bay, Haliday Bay, Cape Hillsborough, Yakapari, The Leap, Balnagowan and Conningsby communities earlier in the year to address local power issues by fast tracking a scheduled upgrade in the area.
“While we did address the supply issues at the time in the short term, this project will ultimately provide an added level of comfort and reliability for these communities” he said. Work is expected to be completed by late December this year.
In addition to the $2.4 million upgrade in the area, Ergon Energy will also spend over $900,000 on augmentation work on the high voltage network in the Haliday Bay area. This was scheduled for completion by October this year, however this work has been delayed due to design issues and is now scheduled to start in March next year.
