Western Water is supporting a project from La Trobe's Environmental Microbiology Laboratory that studies bacteria in sewer streams to try and combat corrosion. La Trobe University Scientist, Elizabeth Mathews, is conducting the research which is trying to change the respiratory or 'breathing' chemistry of bacteria in our waste stream. Ms Mathews said, “A healthy society is built on good sanitation and [...]
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville, has announced Australia’s first organic waste processing facility specifically built for providing electricity for water treatment. The $27million Yarra Valley Water’s Waste to Energy facility in Wollert (VIC) will support local businesses by making the recycling of commercial organic waste easier and more affordable. The facility will produce electricity to run [...]
Queensland Urban Utilities has begun the next stage of upgrades to one of Brisbane’s main sewers. The historic 100-year-old sewer pipe carries 60 per cent of the city’s sewage and lies eight storeys below the ground. The upgrades are part of a $66 million rehabilitation project by Interflow. Queensland Urban Utilities spokesperson, Michelle Cull, said the total upgrade involved relining [...]
Western Water is introducing bore water to the Lancefield (VIC) water supply after a decline in local reservoir water levels. Western Water’s General Manager of Customer and Community Relations, Graham Holt, said Lancefield’s surface water supply would need to be supplemented with up to 30 per cent bore water over the next five months. “We have had very low [...]
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville, has announced the beginning of construction for the $130 million Amaroo Main Sewer project in Craigieburn. This project represents a $400 million investment over five years in the region and will provide a wastewater infrastructure backbone for development of this growing northern part of Melbourne. The project will support population growth [...]
Western Power and Carnegie Wave Energy have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to deliver a world first renewable energy island microgrid project. The Garden Island Microgrid Project (GIMG) will be the first in the world that combines wave energy, solar (photovoltaic) energy, a desalination plant and energy storage to be connected to an electricity network. Western Power’s CEO, Paul Italiano, [...]
nbn will make services available to more than 20,000 homes and businesses on Australia’s central coast (NSW). The first commercial FTTN services were connected in Belmont, New South Wales in September 2015 and now the central coast and Hunter regions have access to the FTTN-based network. The nbn rollout is gathering pace with more than 8,200 homes and businesses in [...]
The Queensland Government has invested more than $772, 000 in a new reservoir for Kuranda. The reservoir will provide safe drinking water for the Kuranda community, as the existing water facility has a capacity of less than 50 per cent of what is needed for residents. Minister for State Development, Dr Anthony Lynham, said the new reservoir would be a [...]
CitiPower and Powercor have almost completed stage one of a Victorian lighting project that has replaced more than 20,000 streetlights. The ‘Lighting the Regions’ project is now nearing completion of Stage One, with more than 20,000 streetlights changed since the project commenced. The Mount Alexander region in and around Bendigo has been completed with more than 700 streetlights changed. The [...]
Karratha (WA) is receiving a major upgrade to its recycled water irrigation network with a project undertaken by Cobey Industries. The $11million project includes replacing and expanding the ageing recycled water infrastructure currently in place. The project will also see all existing and future planned public green spaces are watered more frequently and with higher quality treated recycled water, making [...]
The Queensland government has invested $8.8 million in funding for the Bundaberg Gas Pipeline. This new investment will increase funding for the pipeline from $11 million to almost $20 million, in a bid to build the port into an economic hub for the Wide Bay region. Australian Gas Networks Limited will design, deliver and operate the pipeline and support job [...]
How many times on jobs do we find that the geotechnical information provided did not reflect the actual ground conditions encountered? No one wants to hear the ‘latent ground condition’ phase used either, because these would be grounds to create an ‘extra situation’ on a contract. If we are lucky, the difference in the geotech is picked up at the [...]
AusNet Services is on track to complete its $40 million Dandenong Ranges powerline upgrade project by April 2016, having relocated more than 30km of existing powerlines underground. The two-year project involves relocating approximately 50km of overhead high-voltage (22,000-volt) aerial bundled cable (ABC) underground and replacing a further seven kilometres of the cable with a modern design. AusNet Services’ Project [...]
Combining traditional tunnelling technology with modern day rehabilitation techniques, ITS Pipetech recently provided a solution to the New South Wales Department of Roads & Maritime Services (RMS) to extend the life of an existing set of culverts that crossed the Princes Highway outside the University of Wollongong. The prime objective of the work was to provide structural integrity and equalise [...]
In this latest installment in our regular ‘Women in Utilities’ feature series, we look at the work three women are doing at Sydney Water, breaking down the barriers that still exist about the role women play in the utilities sector. Yvonne Sinanovic Yvonne Sinanovic, Plant Manager at Rouse Hill Water Recycling Plant, is breaking down barriers within the water utilities [...]
The Yuleba North to Blythdale Transmission Line Project in south-west Queensland has introduced several innovative measures for managing the biosecurity concerns of landholders. The innovative project has used techniques, including heli-stringing to run the powerline between towers. In addition to this, one of the unique features of this project has been the ongoing engagement with landholders, as the transmission line [...]
Western Power is investing $900,000 to upgrade the powerlines between Denmark and Walpole in preparation for bushfire season. The works are part of Western Power’s $1.2 billion program of work scheduled for the 2015/16 financial year. Head of Works Program Planning, Lou Tognolini, said up to 450 poles and 20 kilometres of powerline would be replaced. “We have identified poles [...]
Winton Shire Council is seeking tenders for the design and construct of a commercial scale 310 kWe geothermal power plant in Winton (QLD). The works involve the design, construction, installation and commission of geothermal power plant and associated cooling works using the current town water bores. Submissions to tender close 17 November.
The Whitsunday Regional Council will be installing a new 375mm diameter sewer rising main in the region. The sewer rising main will stretch from the Beach Road and Shute Harbour Road intersection to the pump station at Pandanus Drive, Cannonvale. The project will include trenching, installing the pipe and backfilling works in the designated area. New pavement, driveways and kerb [...]
The winners of the 2015 International Association for Public Participation’s Core Values awards have been announced. Sydney Water and GHD have won the Australian Project Category Infrastructure Award for their stakeholder and community engagement activities on the South West Growth Centre Wastewater Servicing Project. The award is part of the International Association for Public Participation's (IAP2) 2015 Core Values Awards. [...]
Minister for Environment, Climate Change and Water, Lisa Neville, will visit the Sunraysia region to discuss irrigators, environmental projects and ways to boost the region’s economy. Ms Neville said she was eager to meet key stakeholders in the region about water security, investment in irrigation infrastructure and the health of the region’s waterways. The Sunraysia region is a major contributor [...]
Where there’s the installation of underground infrastructure, there’s usually an element of horizontal directional drilling involved, allowing councils and utilities to navigate features including rivers, creeks, roads and railroads without disturbing the natural environment. Here, HDD contractor Anthony Doherty provides a unique insight into the upcoming projects that will reinvigorate the sector after a quiet 12 months. Horizontal directional drilling [...]
Hunter Water will tunnel a pipeline beneath Swansea Channel as part of a $4million project to secure the water supply for residents south of Swansea Bridge, NSW. The new second water main will ensure that more than 4,500 homes are no longer at risk of running out of water if the existing pipe breaks. Currently the water supply of [...]
Ausgrid crews have put the final touches on the new Metford zone substation in the New South Wales lower Hunter Valley. The 33/11kV substation has been fitted out with two transformers and space for a third, as the potential for growth in the immediate area is significant. Crews have installed two transformers and the electrical switchgear at the new Metford [...]
by Neil Palmer, CEO, National Centre of Excellence in Desalination Australia Stretching all the way back to 1895, the Mammoth Condenser at Coolgardie, completed by the Public Works Department, was, at the time, the largest in the world and could produce 500kL/d. A condenser was built at Cook on the Trans Australia Railway in 1917 for boiler water. A reverse [...]
by Mathew Pugh, Director, Hydroflux Industrial But how closely are you monitoring your wastewater discharge costs? The media, with its focus on news for general public consumption, has been full of coverage of the growing cost of electricity. As a consequence, the public in general and managers in most industries in particular are well aware of increases in the cost [...]
The Northern Territory Government has granted major project status to the development of a gas pipeline connecting the Northern Territory to the east coast gas market. With the project spanning three states and affecting traditional landowners, the land access negotiations that will be required before this project can even begin will be immense. With a major gas shortage imminent across [...]
It’s been a bountiful decade in the gas pipeline construction game, as the CSG-LNG industry in Queensland provided contractors with a steady stream of geographically concentrated work. Now that these projects are up and running, we ask: where to now for pipeliners? After an unprecedented construction boom in recent years, now that the Queensland LNG industry is effectively up and running, many [...]
Smart meter rollouts are happening all over the world, with utilities trying different approaches, technologies and solutions to accomplish objectives including customer engagement, supply reliability and operational efficiencies. In the smart metering journey so far, success has varied between utilities. While there are quite a few success stories, there have also been challenges, shortfalls and sufferings. The time has now [...]
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