Powerlink has recently published a ‘Project Specification Consultation Report’ (PSCR) to address the secondary systems condition risks at Chalumbin Substation.
Chalumbin Substation is located almost 100 kilometres to the south of Cairns in Far North Queensland (FNQ). The site was established in 1988 to help supply load into the Cairns and Atherton Tableland areas. Planning studies have confirmed there is a long-term requirement to continue to supply the existing electricity services provided by this substation.
The secondary systems at Chalumbin broadly perform the functions of transmission element protection, data collection, remote (and local) control and monitoring. The majority of Chalumbin’s 275kV secondary systems will reach the end of their technical service lives between 2024-2026, with only limited manufacturer support and spares available at this time.
Increasing failure rates, along with the increased time to rectify faults due to the obsolescence of the equipment, significantly affects the availability and reliability of these systems and their ability to continue to meet the requirements of the National Electricity Rules (the Rules).
The proposed preferred option that is considered to satisfy the Regulatory Investment Test for Transmission (RIT-T) involves the single stage replacement of the secondary systems at Chalumbin Substation in the existing building by December 2025.
The indicative capital cost of the RIT T project for the preferred option is $9.71 million in 2021/22 prices.
In accordance with the requirements of the Rules, a summary of the PSCR is made available on the AEMO website. A copy of the PSCR can be obtained from the Powerlink website on the RIT-T Consultations page or by emailing networkassessments@powerlink.com.au.
Submissions on the PSCR are required by the closing date of 8 July 2022.
Any enquiries in the first instance should be directed to:
Roger Smith
Manager Network and Alternate Solutions
Powerlink Queensland
PO Box 1193
VIRGINIA, QLD 4014
Tel: (+617) 3860 2328