Since 2012, the Australian Energy Market Operator has been investigating the potential to integrate excess energy generated by wind turbines around Australia into the National Electricity Market. AEMO has provided Utility with an update on the progress that has been made, and the challenges that lie ahead for the integration of large scale renewable energy into the grid. In December [...]
QGC has awarded an engineering and project services provider contract for the QCLNG project to WorleyParsons Australia. These services are in support of the ongoing expansion of QGC’s QCLNG development and the annual program of works associated with their existing coal seam gas facilities and the LNG plant in Queensland. This includes the upstream coal seam gas well heads, gathering [...]
The NBN rollout has recently picked up momentum around the country with an additional 44,709 homes and businesses in 26 regions connected to the network. The latest construction maps show the National Broadband Network (NBN) will be rolled out using fibre and fixed wireless technologies across parts of the following regions and communities: NSW: Greater Sydney Central Coast Mid-North Coast [...]
ARENA has announced $450,000 funding for Abengoa to conduct a feasibility study into a solar thermal power station in remote Western Australia. ARENA CEO Ivor Frischknecht said the study will look into constructing a 20 MWe plant in Perenjori, connected to the South West Interconnected System (SWIS) electricity grid. “The solar thermal tower and a molten-salt energy storage system could [...]
In times of climate and economic uncertainty, investing in measures to assure water efficiency is a wise, and in some cases vital, move in order to continue meeting customer demand into the future and to mitigate the effects of events such as drought and natural disasters. But when, and how, should utilities invest in water efficiency measures? The Water Services [...]
By Peter Mitchley, Santos General Manager Energy NSW Santos is a proud Australian company that has been exploring for and producing natural gas for over 50 years, and has been supplying gas to NSW for close to 40 years from its Moomba fields in South Australia. The proposed Narrabri Gas Project, located in the north-west of the State, will be [...]
Delays proved to be a blessing in disguise as they saved a multimillion dollar project from washing away during Queensland’s devastating 2011 floods. Energex was in the process of three major multi-staged projects worth $25 million to upgrade the power supply and benefit more than 10,000 homes across the Lockyer Valley in South East Queensland. A combination of glitches, however, [...]
The Hattah Lakes wetland no longer floods as regularly as it once did, posing a threat to the area’s ecological balance. A vast project to create artificial flooding undertaken to solve this issue was threatened when rivers rose to 40 year levels during construction, but a collaborative approach between the stakeholders and contractors ensured that the job was completed on [...]
NBN Co has announced that it will bring forward its rollout of wholesale very fast broadband to apartments and office buildings in Australia’s inner cities, in a commercial response to emerging infrastructure competition for high-value customers from vertically integrated telecommunications carriers. Preparations are underway to deploy the National Broadband Network to inner city residential and commercial complexes in parallel with [...]
The Woolloongabba Sewer Capacity Upgrade is a major project currently being undertaken by Queensland Urban Utilities to increase capacity to cater for rapid population growth. With works taking place in a highly urbanised area, the need for accuracy in construction is non-negotiable. The challenges of such an installation are compounded when ground conditions vary. Different types of earth offer varying [...]
Ausgrid recently celebrated an early milestone on its City East Cable Tunnel (CECT) project in Sydney’s CBD. The CECT tunnel is a critical component in Ausgrid’s project to future-proof Sydney’s electricity supply network. After having launched the tunnel boring machine (TBM) at the Riley Street (Surry Hills) Substation in January last year, Thiess’ CECT project team achieved breakthrough at the [...]
By Anthony Emmerson,
Operations Manager – Infrastructure, Taylors The Taylors NBN journey started in July 2010. The NBN project was in its infancy. A trial rollout had begun in Tasmania and the project was gaining some media coverage, however the coverage was largely political and few in the mainstream business community had started to turn their heads in the NBN [...]
While it awaits the report from the NBN cost-benefit analysis and review of regulation, the Federal Government has released a new Statement of Expectations to NBN Co, outlining its plans for a multi-technology rollout. Minister for Communications Malcolm Turnbull and Finance Minister Mathias Cormann issued the new statement (which can be viewed here) to NBN Co Chairman Ziggy Switkowski on [...]
The towns of Bargo and Buxton in NSW are set to receive an upgraded wastewater service this year, under Sydney Water’s Priority Sewerage Program. Bargo and Buxton will receive a pressure sewerage system that works by collecting wastewater in a small tank installed on each property. Wastewater will then be transferred via a 14km transfer main to the existing wastewater [...]
The first ground has been broken for the construction of the $40M Harcourt Rural Modernisation Project in Victoria. The Nationals Member for Rodney, Paul Weller, who visited the site representing the Victorian Minister for Water Peter Walsh, said this was a significant milestone for the Harcourt community, with construction now underway for the 19 kilometre backbone pipeline and associated reticulation [...]
Engineering group Monadelphous has been awarded three contracts with the Australia Pacific LNG Project for the construction of upstream gas processing and compression facilities associated with its coal seam gas to LNG project in Queensland. The contracts have a combined value of approximately $250 million. The largest of the contracts is for the construction of an upstream gas processing facility [...]
Santos has entered into a set of principles in NSW that recognises the company’s long-standing position that it will not undertake drilling activities on private land without the voluntary consent of the landholder. The Principles of Land Access was signed by Santos, AGL, NSW Farmers, Cotton Australia and the NSW Irrigators Council at NSW Parliament House. Santos is currently seeking [...]
Wave energy developer Carnegie Wave Energy has signed a $20m loan facility with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation to support the development of a CETO 6 project. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation is providing a five-year $20 million loan facility that will provide part of the financing required for the next stage of CETO technology development and commercialisation, the CETO [...]
NBN Co has selected Optus to provide tracking, telemetry and control services for the company’s two purpose-built satellites. These satellites aim to deliver high speed broadband across rural and remote Australia where fibre connection is not possible. The five year contract, with options to extend for up to 15 years, was awarded following a competitive tender. Under the contract Optus [...]
By Michelle Goldsmith The National Broadband Network is the largest and most ambitious infrastructure project currently being undertaken in Australia. In a digital age, the NBN will eventually impact upon the lives of most Australians. However, much is still uncertain about the project and the information can be difficult to find and obscured by speculation. In this article, we seek [...]
By Paul Patrick, Yarra Valley Water Fast growing urban areas present a challenge for water utilities. Often located on the city fringe, they can be remote from existing infrastructure. Yarra Valley Water outlines the future planning they undertake to ensure they keep up with this growth. Background The existing townships of Mernda and Doreen are located approximately 30 kilometres northeast [...]
Utilities are making increasing use of trenchless technologies to install or upgrade their infrastructure, taking advantage of the opportunity to minimise disruptions such as closed roads, resulting in big savings in time and money for the local community. Wide Bay Water Corporation (WBWC) has extensive experience with directional drilling, but recently undertook their first microtunnelling project. The project required a [...]
History, heritage and the environment are as important as the bricks and mortar (figuratively speaking) of this new generation of roller compacted concrete dams. Just as the original dam formed a firm foundation around which to build our national capital a hundred years ago, so too will the new dam provide a foundation on which to build Canberra’s second century [...]
The Federal Government has released a new report entitled ‘Broadband Availability and Quality: Summary Report’ (accessible in PDF format here), which indicates that there are more than 1.6 million premises in the country with very poor or no fixed broadband access at all and further highlighting the need for the NBN. The report is the first of its kind to be [...]
ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has officially launched the Cotter Dam Canberra following the successful completion of construction. The dam is expected to support the economic growth and development of Canberra and the ACT through its next hundred years, providing long-term water security through whatever conditions we may face through our changing climate. Today, the dam is already more a [...]
Gas distribution network owner SP AusNet has begun initial works to extend its underground natural gas network to Huntly in Western Victoria. Under the project, approximately 580 Huntly residents and businesses will be able to access the network by winter 2014. SP AusNet’s Program Manager, Geoff Thorn, said the company is committed to delivering the underground gas network on time, [...]
New Zealand has opened a new renewable power plant, Mighty River Power’s Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station, located on the country’s North Island. Mighty River Power Chair, Joan Withers, described the new Ngatamariki Geothermal Power Station – the largest of its type in the world – as “a significant strategic milestone for the Company and very good news for New Zealand”. Mrs [...]
Minister for Industry, Ian Macfarlane, has announced during his address to the NSW Energy Security Summit that he will be working with the NSW Government, industry and local communities to progress coal seam gas development in NSW, by convening a group of key stakeholders. “In cooperation with Premier Barry O’Farrell and Minister Chris Hartcher, and my federal ministerial colleagues, I [...]
The WA state government has announced a number of updates regarding its infill sewerage program, which involves the installation of systems of buried pipes and pumps in residential areas to carry wastewater to wastewater treatment plants for safe processing and disposal. The Esperance infill sewerage project is now complete, with 261 residential lots now able to connect to the central [...]
Sydney Water is investing around $293,500 on wastewater infrastructure in Baulkham Hills, North Rocks, Old Toongabbie and Winston Hills. The work was welcomed by the Member for Baulkham Hills, David Elliott. “This is a great investment into essential services for our community,” Mr Elliott said. “This work will improve the wastewater system and protect public health and the environment, reducing [...]
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