Major upgrade for Energy Australia

Energy Australia is expecting to complete a $14.1 million major upgrade at Woy Woy and Umina zone substations by mid next year.

Energy Australia began work on the Peninsula late last year after identifying that the combined load on both Woy Woy and Umina zone substations would exceed the planning criteria of the Woy Woy-Umina ring feeder network in this summer.

A report from Energy Australia said Umina was currently loaded above its secure capacity in both summer and winter and is loaded beyond the planning criteria.

Load in the southern Central Coast is continuing to grow rapidly as a result of urban redevelopment, according to the report.

Without an upgrade Woy Woy would exceed its firm capacity in summer 2008/09 and would exceed planning criteria in 2010/11.

Energy Australia proposed an upgrade of the two zones to overcome the risk of a loss of load in the area.

The $7.7 million Umina zone upgrade would see the installation of a third transformer to increase the firm capacity of the zone.

The upgrade would also see the reconductoring and uprating of the 66kV ring feeder network from Gosford STS to Umina and Woy Woy.

Feeder 828 would be reconductored and feeder 830 would be uprated from 75ºC to 100ºC operation.

These works would ensure that the trunk feeders were capable of meeting the forecast loads for a dependant outage of the Peninsula area.

The Energy Australia report stated that the feeder ratings were not forecast to be exceeded within the next 10 years.

Works at Umina were scheduled to be completed by mid next year.

The $6.4 million Woy Woy zone upgrade would introduce two new feeders from the substation to provide additional capacity and support to the existing feeders.

The new feeders would be installed from Woy Woy zone substation to Empire Bay and surrounding suburbs.

One branch of the feeder would head south to Killcare and the other north towards Davistown.

Energy Australia will also complete minor works to upgrade the limiting sections of the existing overhead feeders.

Energy Australia manager of capital development Mr John Hele said the upgrade would have been completed earlier had they not been delayed.

"Unfortunately we have had delays in the approval process with the RTA," Mr Hele said.

"We need RTA approval to work on a section across the Rip Bridge.

"Without their consent, we cannot go ahead with any more work.

"However, we are expecting to have the works at Woy Woy completed by the end of the month."

Clare Graham, 14 Sep 2007