Power and Water has delivered a new powerline to the Ntaria community in the remote Northern Territory for $5.82 million, $1.28 million below the estimate, announced Managing Director John Baskerville.
“This new power line that connects the Ntaria community to power generation in Alice Springs will ensure a long-term, least-cost, reliable power supply for the region, with capacity for future growth,” Mr Baskerville said.
“The new powerline will also deliver over $10 million in savings over 20 years compared with the supply of diesel generated electricity.
“It allows for the decommissioning of the existing diesel power station at Ntaria, which has reached end of life and would require a complete rebuild to continue functioning.
“The Minister for Community Services celebrated the connection of the Ntaria line to the Alice Springs grid at the Tjuwanpa Outstation Resource Centre on 2 July,” he said
Power and Water’s Remote Operations Indigenous Essential Services (IES) Pty Ltd delivered the project that was jointly funded by the Federal and Northern Territory governments.
“Just in the same way that a new car needs running in, the new powerline has needed time to settle in and undergo a testing phase,” Mr Baskerville said.
“Now the testing phase is complete, official announcements can be made,” he said.
Ntaria is a major remote town that supports a number of smaller communities and outstations in the Central Australia region. The serviced population is over 1 000 including Hermannsburg, Wallace Rockhole and surrounding outstations.
