Ausgrid has officially started the construction of a new depot at Artarmon in New South Wales which will allow the company to provide more efficient responses to local outages.
Chief Operating Officer,Trevor Armstrong, was on hand for the ceremony to mark the start of building work. Mr Armstrong said the decision to build the new facility came about after Transport for NSW acquired Ausgrid’s Chatswood depot for the Sydney Metro project.
“Ausgrid decided to take the opportunity to consolidate our sites across North Sydney to ensure we can deliver more efficient service to our customers,” Mr Armstrong said.
Existing Ausgrid sites at Chatswood, Gore Hill, Pymble and St Leonards will be combined in the new single depot on Broadcast Way in Artarmon.
“The Pymble depot was bought in 1926 and is more than 90 years old, the Gore Hill and Chatswood sites are almost 50 years old and all have reached the end of their working life.
“This new facility will provide modern and fit for purpose facilities for more than 150 staff and relocating to one site will allow us to leverage that scale and improve responses to outages and emergencies,” Mr Armstrong said.
The location was selected due to its size and proximity to major arterial roads such as the M1 and Warringah Freeway which will provide easier access for crews to respond during emergencies in the CBD.
The new depot is part of a wider program of investment to plan for the future needs of the electricity network and will also cater to future demand from population growth on the Lower North Shore. Construction of the depot is set to be completed by mid to late 2019.
