Powerlink To Trial Hybrid Mobile Bay

Powerlink is set to trial a hybrid mobile bay, cutting outage and return to service times when it comes to replacing aged primary equipment in substations.

The transportable 132-kV mobile bay aims to reduce outage times from 12 weeks to two, resulting in significant time and cost efficiencies and less impacts on customers when conducting replacement works.

Powerlink Chief Executive Paul Simshauser said, in part, “Powerlink used the services of a local Mackay business for the manufacturing of the hybrid substation, which will undergo its first trial at our Bouldercombe Substation near Rockhampton.”

Simshauser said that the new approach would revolutionize the way Powerlink replaces aging substation equipment, adding: “The complexity of replacing critical substation equipment will be simplified with the use of the mobile bay. Typically a whole substation bay of equipment has to be de-energised for up to three months for work to be conducted. The mobile bay means the outage duration will be significantly reduced and can be taken in lower load periods as work preparation can be done up to one year in advance.”