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About $37 million worth of electrical infrastructure upgrades are underway in Queensland’s Wide Bay to support the region’s future growth, including the rebuild of Gin Gin Substation and the replacement of insulators on a critical transmission line. 

Energy Minister, Dr Anthony Lynham, said Powerlink had hit the halfway mark in a $33 million revamp of its 50-year-old Gin Gin Substation, and work is underway on a $4 million project to replace insulators on a critical transmission line between Gin Gin and Woolooga.

“These projects will secure an ongoing reliable electricity supply for major centres in region including Bundaberg, Hervey Bay, Maryborough and Gympie,” Mr Lynham said.

“The transmission network in the Wide Bay area plays an important role in linking South East and Central Queensland, and supporting the area’s industrial, agriculture and tourism sectors.

“This is all about meeting the future energy needs of community and industry to support jobs and economic growth.”

The Gin Gin Substation rebuild involves replacing old equipment and reconfiguring the network.

Powerlink Interim Chief Executive, Kevin Kehl, said the rebuild would ensure the substation met contemporary needs now and into the future. 

“Project works have been planned to deliver key activities in stages to ensure ongoing security and reliability during construction,” Mr Kehl said.

Work has also started on replacing 1,260 insulator strings and steelwork on 332 transmission towers between Gin Gin and Woolooga Substations.

Mr Lynham said the 150km transmission line, built in 1982, played a critical role in transferring power across the Wide Bay region.

“This project ensures the transmission line will continue to operate reliably for its remaining service life and provide safe, reliable electricity for the entire region,” Mr Lynham said.

Innovative work practices are being used to replace the aging insulators while the 275kV transmission line remains fully energised. This method minimises potential impacts on customers by avoiding the need for planned outages on the network.

The Gin Gin Substation rebuild project is scheduled for completion in late 2021, while works to replace insulators on the Gin Gin to Woolooga transmission line are expected to continue until mid-2020, weather dependent.

Charlotte Pordage is Editor of Utility magazine, a position she has held since November 2018. She joined the team as an Associate Editor in October 2017, after sharpening her writing and editing skills across a range of print and digital publications. Charlotte graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London, in 2011 with joint honours in English and Latin. When she's not putting together Australia's only dedicated utility magazine, she can usually be found riding her horse or curled up with a good book.

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