Transgrid has commenced orders for critical transmission supplies as part of its Rewiring the Nation program, after securing a $385 million underwrite from the Federal Government.
Construction on the $1.8 billion EnergyConnect project is well underway with tower erection expected to start in March 2023 on the project’s western alignment between Buronga and the South Australian border.
Transgrid CEO, Brett Redman, said Transgrid is leading the energy transition, accelerating the nation-critical transmission projects needed to deliver cheap, clean and reliable electricity to millions of Australians.
“We welcome the Federal Government’s underwriting agreement which is key to locking in the long-lead items required to accelerate the nation’s energy transition and fast-track construction of the energy superhighway,” Mr Redman said.
“Transgrid is leaning into the acceleration of the energy transition by bundling procurement for its major projects HumeLink, VNI West and EnergyConnect. This enables us to compete globally for highly-sought-after equipment and deliver them faster and cheaper for consumers.”
The Powering Tomorrow Together program seeks to de-risk a highly competitive supply chain as energy companies race to secure critical, large-scale equipment, materials and skilled people to deliver the projects which will reshape the nation’s grid.
“By rolling EnergyConnect, HumeLink and VNI West into one procurement program we’re able to purchase materials, like steel and substation equipment earlier and at a lower cost, enabling limited construction resources to be secured and used across all three projects.
“This will accelerate integration of renewables on the grid, supporting a faster transition to a decarbonised economy and cheaper electricity bills.”
In February 2023, Transgrid announced an increased community consultation and accelerated planning for VNI West – a new transmission project which will secure the electricity supply and boost sharing of energy between Victoria and New South Wales.
Transgrid has a substantial ‘shopping list’ which includes $385 million in equipment, transformers, steel and cables for HumeLink and VNI West, which, together with EnergyConnect, will benefit millions of consumers in Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia.
Mr Redman recently visited South Korea and Japan, securing first contracts with a combined value of around $150 million for the following Long Lead Equipment for use on the HumeLink and VNI West projects:
- 25 single phase 500kV transformers (to arrive in late 2024/early 2025) from Hyosung in South Korea
- 15 500kV shunt reactors (to arrive in early 2025) from Hitachi Energy
The Powering Together Tomorrow program will also procure:
- 14,500km of transmission line conductor – enough to stretch from Sydney to Los Angeles
- 58,000t of steel to build 1,350 transmission towers
