nbn’s construction contracts with its delivery partners aim to extend the National Broadband Network’s fixed-line footprint to another 4 million premises. These contracts are based on a revised Multi-technology Integrated Master Agreement, involving simplified performance-based contracts intended to reduce administrative overheads, enhance competition, enable flexibility and incentivise a faster, more effective NBN rollout. Utility took the opportunity to speak with […]
Features
Significant upgrades to WA Wheatbelt
Utility Journalist Civil Construction, Features, News, Pipelines, Projects, Water 0Water Minister, Mia Davies, has announced the beginning of a three-year, $32 million project to significantly improve the performance of the Water Corporation’s farmlands water supply system. This project is also a part of the Goldfields and Agricultural Water Supply Scheme. Communities in the agricultural east and west districts of the Wheatbelt are served by more than 7,800 kilometres of […]
Irrigation to pump Denmark’s water supply
Utility Journalist Features, Irrigation, News, Pipelines, Water, Water and Wastewater Treatment 0The WA State Government has announced that the town of Denmark will receive a $15 million water recycling scheme to irrigate the local golf course. A new tree farm will also be irrigated as part of the scheme. WA Water Minister, Mia Davies, and WA Regional Development Minister, Terry Redman, said the Denmark water recycling scheme would recycle treated wastewater […]
The Australian Government’s Resources and Energy Quarterly has recently been released, providing data on the performance of Australia’s resources and energy sectors and analysis of key commodity markets. According to Mark Cully, Chief Economist Department of Industry and Science, the release contains an update to the Office of the Chief Economist’s short-term commodity forecasts and overviews of key commodity market […]
National electricity grid for Ararat wind farm
Utility Journalist Civil Construction, Electricity, Features, News, Powerlines, Renewable Energy, Sustainability 0The Ararat Wind Farm (VIC) will soon be connected to the national electricity grid by Transmission General Holdings Australia (TGHA). The Ararat Wind Farm’s 75 turbines will deliver 242MW of renewable energy capacity into the grid. As part of the arrangement, TGHA will design and construct, own and operate the new terminal station and 21km of 132kV powerlines. TGHA’s Tim […]
Macquarie River to Orange pipeline complete
Utility Journalist Dams, Features, News, Pipelines, Water 0The 39km Macquarie River to Orange water pipeline (NSW) is now complete. Construction of the $47million pipeline was funded with $20million from the Australian Government’s National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns, $18.2million from the NSW Government and $8.8million from Orange City Council. Leed Engineering and Construction began work on the pipeline in October 2013, with Essential Energy undertaking […]
More than 200,000 homes and businesses across Australia have been added to the rollout of Australia’s broadband network. The quarterly construction update covers more than three million Australian homes and businesses where work is already underway or in plan to commence before the end December 2016. Communities added to the plan include parts of Margaret River in the South West […]
Strategic asset management for water utilities
Laura Harvey Asset management, Condition Assessment, Features, Water 0by Shane Day and Daniel Lambert, Arup When Melbourne Water overhauled its old business model and took on a new customer-centric strategic direction, it was a good opportunity to also change its approach to asset management. This was a fundamental shift in the way the utility operated, from an asset-centric organisation to one that put the customer at the centre […]
Marnie Scobie from Power and Water has received finalist status at the Women in Resources NT awards. The win comes after her creation of a support and mentoring group for female electricians called the “Sparkettes.” “I was very impressed with the Women in Resources event, the calibre of the other entrants and the winner of the overall award,” said Ms […]
Construction underway at Solar PV farm, Broken Hill
Utility Journalist Civil Construction, Electricity, Features, News, Renewable Energy, Solar, Sustainability 0Construction of AGL’s $150million solar photovoltaic (PV) plant is on track in Broken Hill (NSW), with the first of 650,000 panels recently installed by First Solar. The Broken Hill plant is part of the $440 million AGL solar project. The project is advancing large-scale solar energy expertise in Australia by constructing solar power stations in Nyngan and Broken Hill with […]
WA sewerage program receives $50m extension
Utility Journalist Features, Maintenance, News, Pipelines, Water and Wastewater Treatment 0An additional $50million has been placed by the WA Government in the 2015-16 State Budget to extend the Western Australian Infill Sewerage Program. State Water Minister, Mia Davies, confirmed funding over the forward estimates period for 10 projects comprising traditional infill sewerage and Septic Tank Effluent Disposal (STED) schemes, with construction starting in a number of areas as early as […]
The Australian Energy Regulator has released its final decisions on network funding for NSW and ACT electricity distribution and transmission businesses, as well as Tasmania’s transmission network. The proposed funding reductions are around $6.5 billion across affected network businesses, or over $100 million per month. It appears to be good news for Australian energy customers, many of which are already […]
Drinking water ‘Good Practice Guide’ released
Utility Journalist Features, News, Safety and Training, Water 0The Water Safety Association of Australia (WSAA) and WaterRA have announced the release of the “Good Practice Guide to the Operation of Drinking Water Supply Systems for the Management of Microbial Risk.” The purpose of this guide is to provide concise advice on good practice preventive measures for the management of drinking water treatment processes and the distribution of this […]
The Australian Government has released its Energy White Paper, detailing its approach to energy policy framework, which has been met by a largely positive response from energy industry groups. The Energy White Paper outlines three main outcomes it seeks to achieve: Increasing competition between generators and retailers Increasing energy productivity and efficiency Increasing infrastructure investment for the energy sector, including […]
The boards of Victoria’s 19 water corporations will be overhauled as part of a review of the state’s water industry. The Victorian State Government has announced that all 135 board positions will be spilled and go through an expression of interest process. Sixty-five of the positions were already set to be reviewed in September, however others weren’t expected to change […]
New demand side participation rule for energy networks
Utility Journalist Demand management, Electricity, Features, News, Policy 0As part of reforms to the National Energy Rules based on the 2012 Power of Choice review, the Australian Energy Market Commission has created a new rule enabling the Australian Energy Market Operator to obtain better information on demand side participation from electricity market participants. This information will be used to inform its electricity load forecasts. Currently, AEMO conducts voluntary surveys of electricity […]
ENA supports demand management solutions
Utility Journalist Demand management, Digital Utilities, Electricity, Features, News 0The Energy Networks Association has strongly supported changes to national electricity rules which would support alternative options to manage peak demand, without building new infrastructure. Energy Networks Association CEO John Bradley says that electricity networks support a level playing field for “non-network” solutions like demand management, to ensure all options are on the table to provide efficient, safe and reliable […]
The Federal Government has invested $60 million in Tasmanian irrigation. Premier Will Hodgman welcomed the investment stating, “Jobs are our number one priority and this investment will grow hundreds of jobs in our vital agriculture sector. “We understand the importance of reliable water to our primary industries, which is why we have worked hard to secure this Federal funding. “This […]
QGC extends land access contract
Utility Journalist Coal seam gas, Features, Gas, Land access, News, Pipelines 0QGC has extended its land access contract with Daly International to the end of 2016. In addition to the land access services, Daly International has been engaged to assist with managing relationships with landowners for ongoing maintenance to the pipeline. This work was also extended. “This is a testament to the good work of our people and our positive relationships […]
Australia’s first renewable energy from a wave power array
Utility Journalist Electricity, Features, News, Projects, Renewable Energy 0The Carnegie Perth Wave Energy Project’s onshore power station has been officially switched on. Following successful testing last year, the project is now up and running, feeding renewable energy into HMAS Stirling, Australia’s largest naval base. Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) CEO Ivor Frischknecht and Minister for Industry and Science Ian Macfarlane were there to mark the occasion. Mr Frischknecht said the occasion marked […]
Origin to focus on gas; APLNG investment remains ‘robust’
Utility Journalist Coal seam gas, Features, Gas, News 0In light of prolonged low oil prices, Origin Energy Managing Director Grant King says the company’s focus going forward will be on projects that increase gas production in Australia. Mr King made the comments during a presentation to investors and analysts on the company’s half year results to 31 December 2014. As a result of the current slump in global […]
Winners of wind auction announced
Utility Journalist Contracts awarded, Electricity, Features, News, Renewable Energy 0The successful projects have been announced for the ACT Government’s 200MW wind auction. ACT Minister for the Environment, Simon Corbell MLA, announced the auction in March 2014. All developers participating in the wind auction were required to demonstrate best practice community engagement processes for their projects and contributions to local job creation. Three successful candidates have been announced for 2015: […]
$130 million upgrade for Brisbane’s century-old sewer
Laura Harvey Civil Construction, Features, News, Trenchless technology, Water, Water and Wastewater Treatment 0Queensland Urban Utilities has announced Brisbane’s oldest sewer pipe will receive a $130 million upgrade in one of the most unique sewer projects ever undertaken in Australia. The historic S1 Main Sewer, which turns 100 this year, will be rehabilitated in conjunction with the Kingsford Smith Drive Upgrade to minimise the impact on traffic and the community. Queensland Urban Utilities […]
Continuing our series of interviews with women working in utilities, in this edition we profile Melanie Dunnill, a graduate engineer working at TransGrid. Melanie started working for TransGrid in 2006 as an apprentice communications technician at the Yass depot. Upon completion of her apprenticeship Melanie applied and was awarded the Managing Director’s Scholarship, which is an internal scholarship awarded to […]
NBN copper and HFC network deals signed
Utility Journalist Civil Construction, Company news, Features, News, Telecommunications 0NBN Co has completed renegotiations with Telstra and Optus that will see the company gain access to the Telstra’s copper network and the HFC networks of both telcos. These deals are vital for the multi-technology NBN rollout to progress and to include upgraded HFC broadband connections as well as fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) connections using the existing copper. Telstra’s copper and HFC […]
Energy Networks Association CEO, John Bradley, has released the position paper Towards a National Approach to Electricity Network Tariff Reform and an independent analysis addressing the benefits of fairer electricity prices in Australia. “Independent analysis released today shows electricity customers could pay up to $250 less per year in the future if fairer network tariffs are put in place now, […]
What is holding back open excavation contractors from purchasing HDD machines and doing more of their projects trenchless? – Owner, trenchless contractor Questions answered by Charles Stockton, Stockton Drilling Services. This is a good question and historically a number of large international contractors have attempted this arrangement, some with limited success. The pipeline contractors acquired or developed drilling divisions but later discovered […]
What is the best method for attaching the tracer wire to the pulling head?
Utility Journalist Features, Trenchless technology 0Questions answered by Charles Stockton, Stockton Drilling Services. What is the best method for attaching the tracer wire to the pulling head? – National sales manager, tracer wire manufacturer It is generally recommended to use a good quality stainless steel wire with a diameter of 1.6-6mm (depending on crossing length and geology). The wire is threaded through the pulling eye of the […]
What is the AXIS guided boring system? What’s the difference between microtunnelling and AXIS?
Utility Journalist Features, Trenchless technology 0Questions answered by Stuart Harrison, Edge Underground. The Vermeer AXIS guided boring system is a pit-launched trenchless installation method designed to achieve pinpoint, on-grade accuracy while eliminating some of the difficult steps associated with other installation techniques. A wide range of product pipe, sizing specifications, and other jobsite requirements can be met with the capabilities of the AXIS system. The system gives […]
How do you deal with conflation of datasets? – Derek, GIS technician at a gas utility Questions answered by Evan Bollard, GlobalPOS For the purposes of this column I will try to answer this from a GNSS perspective rather than a GIS one. Data conflation in a GIS sense is handled in many different ways and has been the subject of […]
Balancing act: future-proofing Australia’s electricity network
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