The construction of the Tonsley East Substation, a dedicated energy substation that will power the equipment for the first two tunnels of the River Torrens to Darling Project (T2D Project), has started.
The substation will be built, owned, and run by SA Power Networks and is located on the site of a recently demolished old Mitsubishi facility on South Road.
The Tonsley East Substation facility will supply energy to the tunnel-boring machines (TBMs) and the two parallel 4km Southern Tunnels that will be completed in 2030. This construction is undertaken by the SA Power Networks and its subsidiary Enerven and is the first construction to take place in relation to the 10.5km T2D Project.
“The Tonsley East Substation will play an instrumental role in building the River Torrens to Darlington Project, and the ramping up of work on the plant represents a real milestone. Following on from extensive preparatory works – such as ground investigations, the relocation of utilities and demolitions – the building of the substation is the first example of genuine construction on the motorway,” Minister Tom Koutsantonis said.
Work began earlier this year after the clearance of the site, completion of ground investigations, and detailed design of the substation. It is also expected to be finished after a year and fully operational before the expected start of the TBM works on the Southern Tunnels in 2026.
According to Minister Tom Koutsantonis, the substation will serve as a precedent for a second substation to power the TBMs that will excavate the parallel Northern Tunnels from 2029.
As part of the Tonsley East Substation construction, two 66,000-volt transformers were transported from the Wilson Transformer Company in Victoria and installed in early August.
The T2D Project will allow motorists to travel from West Hindmarsh to Darlington in nine minutes, and complete the North-South Corridor’s 78km nonstop motorway between Gawler and Old Noarlunga.
SA Power Networks CEO Andrew Bills also expressed his excitement over the project.
“This is a game-changing infrastructure project for South Australia and it is exciting to be involved. This new substation will meet the significant demand and specific voltage requirements to power the tunnel boring machines as well as long-term power needs for the north-south corridor,” he stated.
