Western 500kV Development

New South Wales Transmission Service Provider (TNSP) TransGrid has continued to invest heavily in development of its 500/330kV Substation Assets over 2007/2008/2009.

Early in 2007 United Group Infrastructure were awarded an important Design and Construct contract to build four large 500/330kV substations at the Bayswater, Mt Piper, Bannaby and \Wollar sites. This capital works project scope known as the “Western 500kV Development” is one of the largest ever seen in Australia, and is a combination of augmenting existing 330kV stations and construction of new Greenfield’s 500/330kV substation sites.

Identical primary scopes
In turn, United Group Infrastructure awarded Electropar an initial contract for all of the 500/330kV tubular bus, strung bus and interplant equipment conductor fittings for Bayswater and Mt Piper in June 2007. Identical primary scopes for Bannaby and Wollar were then awarded by United Group Infrastructure to Electropar in 2008.

Accredited high current lab
Not only have these four projects been some of the largest ever completed by United Group Infrastructure and Electropar, they have also been some of the most technically complex. A large number of new components and assembly’s have been developed for the works and to substantiate their performance RIV testing at CSIRO in Sydney and electrical type testing to IEC 61284 at Electropar’s independently accredited high current lab has been completed.

Engineering best practice
Other components and assembly’s used at Bayswater, Mt Piper, Bannaby and Wollar have utilised Intellectual Property from TransGrid’s existing catalogue of 500kV components and assembly’s. The combination approach to test new assembly’s and rely on TransGrid’s existing 500kV in service experience has been a successful one designed by United Group Infrastructure around engineering best practice for delivering EHV assets.

Electropar is delighted to have played a part in the development of these critical assets for the NSW transmission network alongside
United Group Infrastructure. Electropar CEO Grant Wallace comments that “Electropar has learned a great deal from the 500/330kV work completed in NSW with United Group Infrastructure for TransGrid, and the contract has lifted our game in many facets of our business including design, testing and product traceability from source material.

The team is very proud to have been involved”. The Bayswater (pictured) and Mt Piper sites are now energised with Bannaby well
progressed in terms of construction and Wollar at 50% civil works stage. Both Bannaby and Wollar will be completed by United Group.