A critical new electricity substation that will help to integrate new renewable energy resources in south-west New South Wales and provide a connection point for new transmission links between NSW, Victoria and South Australia has been completed.
Sydney headquartered transmission giant Transgrid announced earlier this month that it was nearing construction completion of its Dinawan substation, a key cog in EnergyConnect that will be critical to bringing cleaner and cheaper energy to households New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia.
The “world-class” Dinawan substation sits at the junction a new 375-kilometre, dual circuit 330kV transmission line that stretches from Buronga and a 160-kilometre, dual circuit 500kV transmission line running from Wagga Wagga, and will play a vital role in delivering new solar and wind generation to consumers.
More than 750 people have worked on the substation’s construction which has seen 6,820 cubic meters of concrete poured for foundations and the installation of two 120MVAr synchronous condensers – each weighing 300 tonnes – in a 60-metre-long, 1,200-metres-squared machine hall.
There are also four shunt reactors and two capacitor banks to increase the power system efficiency by stabilising voltages and reducing energy losses in the transmission network.
“The nation-critical EnergyConnect project will increase renewable energy sharing between NSW, Victoria and South Australia, putting downward pressure on energy bills and helping Australia meet its net zero targets,” said John Burke, EnergyConnect program director.
“The Dinawan substation will integrate new solar and wind generation from the NSW Government’s South West Renewable Energy Zone into the National Electricity Market, delivering more affordable and sustainable electricity to households and businesses.
“The substation will also connect to the proposed new interconnector between NSW and Victoria, VNI West, resulting in greater energy reliability and security for the two states.
“Named after the Wiradjuri people’s word for emu, Dinawan substation is 4ha in size, equivalent to six soccer fields, and home to sophisticated electrical equipment from around the world.”
Image Credit: Transgrid
The EnergyConnect, which will stretch 900-kilometres across New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia, connecting the state grids for the first time and helping to increase overall grid reliability while also creating room to add more renewable energy sources.
According to the latest updates, the EnergyConnect team has completed the first stage of the project, EnergyConnect West, including the expansion of the Buronga substation, the largest and most complex substation in the Southern Hemisphere, which was completed in August.
The first phase has also seen the delivery of new transmission lines from the Buronga substation to the South Australia border (Line 1) and Red Cliffs in Victoria (Line 4).
Works on EnergyConnnect East, between Buronga and Wagga Wagga, are reportedly “progressing well”.
If you would like to join more than 28,000 others and get the latest clean energy news delivered straight to your inbox, for free, please click here to subscribe to our free daily newsletter.
