Concrete poured for “biggest substation” along Australia’s renewable highway

Construction on a major EnergyConnect substation, one of the biggest in the Southern Hemisphere, has hit a major milestone this week with 850 cubic metres of concrete poured to make up the substation’s foundations.

Transgrid – one of two transmission network operators delivering the massive EnergyConnect project, a renewable “superhighway” which will link the energy grids in NSW, South Australia, and Victoria – said on Wednesday announced the first “big concrete pour” for the foundations of a major substation at Buronga.

Subcontractors Nathan Contractors and Mawsons Concrete & Quarries poured 850 cubic metres overnight during what was described as “a complex 11-hour operation”.

A total of 15 concrete trucks were loaded at Mawsons’ plants at Buronga and Mildura, with about 50 workers involved in the pour for the foundations of two synchronous condensers which will act as the heart of the new 16-hectare Buronga substation.

“We are getting on with the job of building the critical EnergyConnect interconnector which will integrate renewables into the grid and allow energy sharing between NSW, Victoria and South Australia for the first time,” said Stephen Troughton, Transgrid project director.

“The Buronga substation will be one of the largest and most sophisticated in the Southern Hemisphere and act as the main hub for the connection between the three states.

In total, the amount of concrete poured, 850 cubic metres, was equivalent to 120 truckloads, according to Mawsons Western Operations Manager Concrete Gary Harvey.

“We had to supply concrete at a certain temperature which was under 23 degrees, and with the number of trucks involved, it was always going to be a night pour,” Harvey said.

A further 850 cubic metres of concrete will be poured next week to complete the foundations for the two 120 MVA synchronous condensers.