By Kellie Stewart, Wagners CFT
Energy Queensland is taking another significant step in evaluating the future of electricity distribution infrastructure, with approximately 250 Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) utility poles being installed as part of a major line replacement project between Roma and Injune in south-west Queensland.
The project is more than a routine asset replacement. It represents one of the utility’s largest deployments of composite poles to date and will provide valuable operational and engineering data to help determine where the technology best fits within Energy Queensland’s future network strategy.
For chief engineer Suzanne Shipp, the project reflects a broader challenge facing electricity networks across Australia.
“The Energy Queensland assets were built decades ago, so we’ve got an ageing asset base. For the future, we’ve got to be looking for new technologies, new innovations to make sure that we’ve got an efficient, prudent network, and it’s got to be safe and reliable as well,” she said.
The Roma-Injune line was selected because it provides an ideal environment to evaluate composite pole performance under some of Queensland’s harshest operating conditions.
“With Injune to Roma, it’s subject to really harsh environmental conditions. So bushfire, for example, it’s got a high water table, high moisture content. It’s got flooding through there. We’ve also seen termites and those sorts of environmental issues as well. So, it was a really great test case to put the composite poles in that environment to test them,” Shipp explained.
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Building a stronger network
The replacement project covers approximately 33km of distribution line across three construction stages.
According to lineman and work group leader Jeremy Thomas, the existing line had reached the point where replacement was essential.
“We’re upgrading the line because the line is that old and brittle that it’s forever turning off due to faults because there’s a lot of SWER lines come off the main line and it is the only power line that feeds Injune,” he said.
“Once it turns off, all those customers go off. So, it’s pretty important as a project to maintain supply to the customers.”
Once complete, the upgraded line is expected to deliver immediate reliability benefits for both customers and field crews.
“The customers will see more reliability of their supply, won’t have as many faults, and more quality of supply,” Thomas said.
The improvements also reduce after-hours fault callouts for local crews.
“That’s really good for the local crews. They won’t be attending callouts of a night. They can stay home with their families. It’s much better for everyone.”
Faster installation delivering productivity gains
While the long-term performance of composite poles is being evaluated, one of the most immediate benefits has been construction productivity. Thomas says crews quickly noticed the difference.
“This is the first time we’ve used fibre poles. They’re so easy to cart around and easy to fit.”
Compared with traditional timber construction, installation times have reduced dramatically. The average time for a timber pole is approximately 30 minutes for a pin pole, whereas the composite poles are fitted in roughly 10 minutes.
This productivity improvement has flowed through the entire construction process.
“We normally allow three days for timber poles to do 10 spans, and we were probably were getting about 15 spans done with the fibre poles,” Thomas said.
The lighter weight of the composite poles has also simplified handling onsite.
“Compared to a timber pole, they’re a lot lighter. They’re roughly about 300kg with the heaviest hardware on them.
“Sometimes you’ve got to turn them when you’re fitting them. With the timber poles, you’ve got to use a crane to do that. Where these ones, the fibre poles, they were just putting a sling around them and could turn them that way.”
Logistics becoming part of the business case
Beyond installation efficiencies, Energy Queensland is also examining logistics savings as part of the overall economic assessment.
Thomas says the lighter poles also dramatically reduced transport requirements.
“We can fit more on a flatbed truck,” he explained.
“There was three B-doubles that came out [whereas] with timber poles, it would probably be 10 to 15 truckloads.”
The poles also arrive pre-drilled, removing another labour-intensive construction step.
“With our timber poles, they just come as a bare stick. We’ve got to put the cap on them. We’ve got to mark them up and drill them.
“With the fibre poles, the guys just turn up and bolt the hardware to the poles.”
Looking beyond purchase price
Although composite poles currently carry a higher initial purchase cost than traditional pole materials, Shipp says Energy Queensland’s assessment extends well beyond upfront capital expenditure.
“The composite poles’ upfront cost is slightly higher than the other types of poles,” she said.
“But when you look at that over the lifecycle… and extending that asset over 80 years and with those other benefits … it makes sense.”
Energy Queensland’s analysis indicates composite poles may deliver the greatest value in remote and environmentally challenging locations.
“It makes sense specifically around those remote and rural locations where the environmental conditions are there, where we can save money on logistics and transport costs and also where we can save money through efficient work practices,” Shipp said.
Early results from the Roma–Injune project are already demonstrating measurable construction efficiencies.
“We’re seeing reduction in transport costs. We’re seeing reduction in the whole logistics elements of it, installation costs, and then the time it’s taking to actually do the install. We’re seeing about a 30% reduction in time.”
While Shipp cautions that results cannot simply be applied across Queensland’s diverse operating environments, the utility expects lifecycle savings in the order of 10-30%, depending on where the technology is deployed.
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Informing future network strategy
Rather than replacing every pole material, Energy Queensland sees composite poles becoming another important option within its broader asset portfolio.
“Out of the 1.7 million poles, we’ve got hardwood timbers, we’ve got steel, we’ve got concrete poles, for example. So, composites will feed into that mix of assets,” Shipp said.
One of the key attractions is the expected asset life.
“We’re hoping to see 80-plus years out of the life of the asset from a composite pole compared to about 30-50 years for some of those other types.”
The data collected from Roma-Injune will now inform future investment decisions across the network. The strategy is to use the information out of that trial to inform a business case to expand composite poles throughout the network.
Shipp expects composite poles to play an increasing role as Energy Queensland continues modernising its network. The trial, however, represents more than testing a new pole material.
“This project’s been a really great experience and it’s made us think differently about how we manage our assets and how we can create value for Queenslanders,” she said.
“We’re able to then use the information out of this trial to really make sure that we’re making the right decisions that make sense and that we can really stand behind those because it’s not just about today.”
“It’s also making sure that they withstand the test of time.”
Click here to watch a case study video on the Roma-Injune line project.
