Specialist crews have constructed the first of more than 800 new transmission towers that will form the nation-critical HumeLink project.
The first towers have been erected at Gregadoo, near Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, with more than 700 personnel now onsite across the 365km project alignment.
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HumeLink aims to unlock the full capacity of Snowy 2.0 and other new renewable energy generators, delivering an additional 2,200MW of on-demand energy into the grid—enough to power up to three million homes for a week.
“Transgrid and our delivery partners are getting on with the job of delivering this once-in-a-generation investment in our energy system, critical to realising the Commonwealth and NSW governments’ shared clean energy vision,” Transgrid CEO Brett Redman said.
The erection of the first towers marks the beginning of the major logistical and construction phase of project, which will require more than 52,000 tonnes of structural steel and over 9,300km of high-voltage conductor, enough to span from Sydney to Perth nearly three times.
HumeLink is being constructed by Transgrid’s delivery partners UGL and CPB Contractors (HumeLink West) and ACCIONA and GenusPlus Group (HumeLink East).
HumeLink West project director Tim Burns said, “This milestone marks an exciting step forward for our dedicated HumeLink West project delivery team. Together with our subcontractor businesses and local supply chain, CPB Contractors and UGL are now focused on safely delivering the more than 360 remaining towers.
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“As with any major project we deliver, we want to ensure that the people living where we work get access to the jobs, skills and opportunities that major infrastructure construction brings.
“As we progress, our team will keep engaging, connecting and listening to communities to make sure we’re doing what we can to support their needs, while also ensuring new economic opportunities such as local jobs and local spend with regional business continue to be created.”
