Substation work justified

Replacement of equipment at the Umina zone electricity substation and the construction of a new zone substation at Empire Bay have been justified in a new progress report on Ausgrid's five year capital works program.

According to the report, titled Supply and Demand, load growth areas surrounding Empire Bay warranted the establishment of a new 66/11kV zone substation and associated 66kV and 11 kV feeder works which is expected to be completed next year.

Ausgrid managing director Mr George Maltabarow said a major driver for the investment was the replacement of existing electrical infrastructure.

"There are about 16 zone substations and 60,000 power poles on the Central Coast with an average age of about 30 years," Mr Maltabrow said.

"It's now time to replace much of this infrastructure to ensure we continue to provide a safe and reliable supply of electricity."

Mr Maltabarow said the investment was also being driven by a need to meet increasing peak demand for power.

"Residential and commercial developments across the Central Coast have made it one of the fastest growing regions across our electricity network," he said.

"The growth in population and commercial development is continuing to push up annual peak demand for electricity on the Central Coast by about 1.7 per cent.

"Our specialist crews are focused on providing efficient network services that operate reliably during peak times."

Media Release, 19 Dec 2011 Gareth Trickey, Ausgrid