A new contract has been awarded to deliver electrical works for Western Power, a Western Australian (WA) State Government owned corporation responsible for building, maintaining and operating the South West Interconnecting System electricity network.
UGL was awarded the contract and will design, supply, install and commission extensions to the existing Neerabup 132 kilovolt and 330 kilovolt substations, approximately 40 kilometres north of Perth, as part of the Western Australian Government-funded Clean Energy Link – North project.
These substations form part of the South West Interconnecting System network and are responsible for connecting to transmission lines that supply electricity across the region.
These works will aim to strengthen Western Australia’s largest electricity network to enable a greater supply of renewable energy from the Wheatbelt region and the Mid West region.
The Wheatbelt and Mid West regions are ideal locations to harness renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar energy, with the State moving towards achieving net zero by 2050.
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This will be especially important, with current modelling predicting that ten times the current renewable generation will be required to meet future low emission electricity demand across the State (per Genus).
Western Power Chief Executive Officer Sam Barbaro said both companies are looking forward to collaborating on the project.
“Connecting energy solutions that support the harnessing of the abundance of renewable energy resources WA has to offer is critical to unlocking a cleaner energy future. We’re continuing to investigate network capacity expansion and strengthening options that maximise the use of existing network infrastructure, corridors, and easements and minimise impacts on the communities and the environment,” Barbaro said.
UGL will start works next month, with the contract set to run for two years.