Transgrid has announced that the first Phase Shifting Transformer for EnergyConnect has arrived.
The $1.8 billion EnergyConnect project will allow electricity to be shared throughout NSW, South Australia, and Victoria and link additional new renewable generation.
Transgrid and its construction partner SecureEnergy are developing a 700-kilometre stretch of the project in NSW from Wagga Wagga to the South Australian border and a link to Red Cliffs in Victoria.
The 374-tonne Phase Shifting Transformer (PST) will be housed at the Buronga substation in Mildura and will manage the flow of active electricity on transmission networks.
“This transformer will be a key part of the energy superhighway Transgrid is building that will benefit millions of Australians and we’re excited to see it arrive, especially as it will be the first of this size installed in Australia,” Transgrid Executive General Manager of Major Projects Gordon Taylor said.
“The delivery of the big-ticket equipment underscores the critical progress we’re making and the size just of the equipment needed to transport it is another example of the sheer scale of the project,” Taylor added.
According to SecureEnergy Project Director Samuel Basanta Lopez, this is the first 330kV PST deployed in Australia.
“This is an important milestone for the project because it signals, we are getting on with the job of building this extraordinary project which has so many firsts,” he said.
Hyosung Project Manager Martin Glass stated: “Hyosung has enjoyed working with Transgrid and SecureEnergy through the design and test phases, and we’re very proud to provide the largest phase shifting transformers in Australia and to see them successfully delivered.”
The transformer was disassembled in South Korea in preparation for the sea passage to Adelaide, where it was put into a convoy of three prime movers, two to pull the load and one to push the cargo.
The transformer required a 76.8-tonne Widening Platform Trailer with 128 axles imported from France, but owing to road weight constraints, it had to travel over 900 km via Broken Hill to the destination Buronga.
“Due to the dimensions and weights of the PST Main tanks, a very lengthy and complex permitting process was undertaken, involving many stakeholders over two states in South Australia and NSW,” Basanta Lopez said.
“The wide and heavy load required traffic to be stopped along the route to be able to use both sides of the road to navigate corners and while crossing narrow bridges,” Lopez added.
“We look forward to continuing this work with SecureEnergy and Hyosung, as well as our strategic partners, for the delivery of the remaining PST units, and to the safe and successful completion of the project,” deugro Project Manager William Troughton said.
Floodlight Content, specialising in documenting complex operations and large-scale projects, also sent a camera operator and a drone pilot.
“This was one of our longest road-trips, and we used drones and other cameras to follow the massive transformer the entire way from Port Adelaide to Buronga,” said Holly Howard, Floodlight Content Producer.
Once on site, an overhead lift system and an HT500 Skate system, the first of its type in Australia, were required to delicately slide the PST into its concrete pad.
The connecting chambers that link the two transformer tanks will be aligned next. After that, work will begin to link the PST to the remainder of the substation.
The 16ha Burongasite will serve as the primary connector between NSW, Victoria, and South Australia. It will be one of the southern hemisphere’s largest and most advanced substations, with five phase-shifting transformers, two synchronous condensers, and four shunt reactors.
The arrival of the PST follows a hectic month on the job site, which included two all-night pours of 1,700 cubic metres of concrete for the foundations of two synchronous condensers.
