Over the long term, dams can provide the cheapest source of bulk water for the urban environment, and dam water is easier to treat than other sources, such as seawater desalination. However, their construction can involve significant costs, and environmental impacts. The Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) has prepared a detailed study into dams. Surface water dams have long […]
Powerlink’s new SuperGrid Landholder Payment Framework will deliver increased payments to landholders hosting new transmission infrastructure, including new landowner payments for those adjacent to infrastructure. The new compensation framework makes Powerlink the first transmission company in Australia to offer payments to landholders with properties adjacent to new transmission infrastructure. The increase in payments is based on property-specific values and impacts, […]
Seqwater has begun using remote control mini-helicopters to deliver precision attacks against invasive weeds threatening South East Queensland’s water supply. The organisation is deploying a 3.5m-long Yamaha RMax helicopter above Wappa Dam to attack an infestation of Water Hyacinth in the drinking water storage. Drones are swiftly becoming an invaluable tool in monitoring and managing aquatic weeds in South East […]
New South Wales Deputy Premier and Minister for Regional New South Wales, John Barilaro, and New South Wales Water Minister, Melinda Pavey, have demanded changes to existing operations, rules and sharing arrangements of the Murray Darling Basin Plan (MDBP). Mr Barilaro said New South Wales has no more water to give and the Federal Government had nowhere left to turn […]
The Maules Creek community has formally declared itself gasfield free at a celebration in the north-west New South Wales locality. The declaration means the Santos Narrabri petroleum licence area is now entirely circled by communities who have voted to be gasfield free. All of the roads around the Maules Creek district were declared gasfield free, with 97 per cent of […]
As large-scale agriculture, drought, bushfire and introduced species reduce Australia’s biodiversity and long-term prosperity, Indigenous academics are calling for a fresh look at the governance and practices of mainstream environmental management institutions. Aboriginal Australians’ world view and connection to Country provide a rich source of knowledge and innovations for better land and water management policies when Indigenous decision-making is enacted, […]
A seismic survey scoping out the potential for new gas, liquids and other mineral resources in the Northern Territory’s Barkly region has been completed. The 820km survey covers ground which has seen little exploration in the past. It will fill in the ‘missing link’ between Mount Isa in Queensland and the Beetaloo Sub-basin in the Northern Territory. Minister for Resources […]
Mid-sized gas producer Westside Corporation has strengthened its foothold in Queensland after being awarded an exploration permit covering a 750km2 area in the southern Bowen Basin. The Queensland Government announced that it had awarded exploration tenement PLR2019-1-8 to a 50-50 joint venture between Westside and Australia Pacific LNG (APLNG). Westside will be the operator of the project, which will target […]
The Western Australian Government has lifted the hydraulic fracturing moratorium on petroleum titles, which existed as at 26 November 2018, following the 6 September gazettal of the Petroleum and Geothermal Energy Resources (Hydraulic Fracturing) Amendment Regulations 2019. The amendment lifts the moratorium on existing titles and prohibits fraccing within 2km of gazetted public drinking water source areas, in national parks, […]
Power in remote Australian areas can be poor and unreliable, but this may not continue to be the case. Energy Networks Australia is requesting regulation reform for network businesses to install stand-alone power systems for remote energy customers. Energy Networks Australia CEO, Andrew Dillon, said such a move would mean lower power prices for all customers and better reliability for […]
Smart meters have the potential to provide a wide range of benefits to both electricity utilities and consumers, including empowering end users with the information to engage more actively with their energy consumption, and enabling innovative demand management initiatives and cost-reflective pricing options. However, in recent years, how best to deploy smart meters across Australia and encourage consumer uptake of […]
ActewAGL carried out helicopter inspections of overhead powerlines across its network during February, giving the utility an overall view of the state of its network. The helicopter patrols are an essential part of ActewAGL’s vegetation management and asset management program. The patrols inspected for vegetation encroaching on powerlines and flew at approximately 110150 metres in rural areas and above 310 […]
Knowing the precise spatial position of assets, especially those buried underground, allows utility operators to rapidly locate their assets when required, enhances planning and helps prevent costly, dangerous and all too common incidents of accidental asset strikes. The location data stored in a utility’s GIS is vital for asset management, public and workplace safety, emergency planning and response, and for […]
Mitigating the risk of fire associated with certain electricity assets is vital in Australia’s bushfire prone climate. However, traditional methods of surveying large electricity networks are costly and timeconsuming. Recently, Geomatic Technologies completed works surveying parts of the Powercor and AusNet Services electricity networks in Victoria using an innovative method that greatly reduced the time and expenditure required. Reducing the […]
A record-breaking microtunnelled bore was recently completed beneath roads, multiple houses, private property and an old industrial area to replace the deepest sections of a much-needed gravity sewer line as part of Melbourne Water’s Alphington Sewer Replacement Project. With Lendlease as principal contractor, Rob Carr Pty Ltd was subcontracted to provide specialist deep tunnel construction and associated civil works, with […]
When Keyhole Inc first launched its Earth Viewer app in 2001, few would have imagined the impact it would have on the world. When Google acquired the company in 2004 and relaunched the app as Google Earth in 2005, the popularity of the app exploded, and so did its number of uses. Whether it’s students wanting to understand the geography […]
Not many people can say they’re the best in the world at anything, but Queensland Urban Utilities’ Steve Gibson has joined that exclusive club. He’s the first Australian in history to be crowned the best project manager in the world. The prestigious accolade from the International Project Management Association (IPMA) was for Steve’s work upgrading the sewerage network in the […]
Repair work has begun on the Basslink Interconnector, the world’s second longest undersea electricity cable that connects Tasmania and Victoria, after a fault was detected in January 2016. The initial cable inspection did not reveal any obvious seabed disruption and currently a cable vessel is sailing to Bass Strait after a program of significant repair works in Geelong. The second […]
In recent years, the uses for drones have dramatically expanded, as online retailers, the construction industry, wildlife rangers and the media, to name just a few, explore the ways drones can make their day-to-day operations easier, safer and more efficient. Utilities have also been quick to explore the potential applications for drones, and here we take a look at the […]
Connections to the NBN network are ramping up with nbn announcing homes and businesses in five locations around Australia can now connect to the network. Over 2000 residents in Hobart’s northern suburbs of Claremont, Austins Ferry and Granton can now switch to the broadband network, as can 100 homes and businesses in Ballidu, WA. Around 370 homes in the Dunsborough […]
Irrigators in Clare Valley (SA) have formed an agreement with SA Water and the Clare Region Winegrape Growers Association to use SA Water infrastructure to transfer their water to vineyards in the region. Water and the River Murray Minister, Ian Hunter, said the Clare Peak Water Transportation Scheme involves a transportation charge of $2.13/kL to the 54 irrigators who have […]
nbn will upgrade their fixed wireless service ahead of the network rollout, to help bridge the digital divide. nbn will use radio signals from ground stations, with the technology delivering fast broadband by transmitting data to equipment inside and outside the home. The technology is designed to provide access to wholesale speeds of up to 50mbps download and 20mbps upload, […]
The Northern Territory Government has recently announced a new process for land access agreements between the oil and gas, and agriculture industries. Northern Territory Chief Minister, Adam Giles, said the new process to establish land access agreements strikes a balance between the rights of resource companies to explore and the rights of landowners to be advised, informed and consulted before […]
The nbn has collaborated with the Aboriginal Areas Protection Authority (AAPA) to create a map of Alice Springs sacred sites in preparation for the nbn rollout. Alice Springs holds huge cultural significance to the local Aboriginal people and is immersed in sacred sites, which has required logistical planning that had never been undertaken before, due to the scale of the […]
Gladstone Regional Council (QLD) is seeking community feedback regarding a proposed upgrade of its sewage pump station at Cemetery Road, Gladstone. Gladstone Regional Council is proposing to upgrade the existing sewage pump station by installing a 1ML concrete tank to increase storage capacity during emergencies. Council’s engineering services portfolio spokesperson councillor, Rick Hansen, said, the upgrade was necessary to ensure […]
The Western Australian Government is inviting investors and community members to provide feedback on the state government’s land tenure policy for irrigated agricultural projects. The government will be holding a series of information sessions about the policy with the first sessions being held in Broome, Derby, Port Hedland, Newman and Gascoyne Junction in November. Other venues, including the Goldfields, will […]
TasWater plans to construct a new sewage pump station for George Town (TAS) to replace the existing station due to its high risk of discharging raw sewage. The new pump station infrastructure will also reduce operating costs, improve the reliability of the service and allow for future growth in the catchment. Works are scheduled to begin in 2016 and TasWater […]
The Australian Government is seeking feedback on a new program that will help irrigators modernise their on-farm irrigation infrastructure in the Murray-Darling Basin. The Commonwealth On-Farm Further Irrigation Efficiency (COFFIE) will be rolled out across the Murray-Darling Basin in 2016, and will provide funding to irrigators to improve their infrastructure, while also returning water savings to the environment. Delivery partners […]
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