Zinfra has refurbished two 110kV transmission lines for client Ergon Energy in seven months, despite battling severe weather events and challenging terrain.
Totalling approximately 110km and 585 poles, the project involved a series of pole changes and refurbishments along the two major 110kV feeders located in the Darling Downs, Queensland.
The work could only be undertaken during outage periods scheduled by the client, however, severe weather events across several months meant nearly half the booked outages were cancelled.
Additional time challenges were imposed by seasonal load requirements. The feeders had to be available by drop-dead dates to meet demand created by increased air-conditioner and heater usage by Ergon Energy customers.
“The crews battled severe storms, consistent outage cancellations, not to mention almost impenetrable granite rock around Stanthorpe, but they dug in and pounded out the work,” Zinfra project manager Ben Thomson said.
“It was a mammoth effort. Nonetheless, constant communication and ‘can-do’ attitudes went a long way in making this a successful project.”
Zinfra called in additional manpower from Victoria and Tasmania, fulfilling the contract within the tight timeframe, with no requests for extensions.
Ergon Energy is currently developing a similar procedure based on Zinfra’s approach.
