Transgrid delivers $235 million Powering Sydney’s Future project

The project was fast tracked by the NSW Government in response to growing peak electricity demand, driven largely by the new infrastructure investment and population growth.

Transgrid CEO Brett Redman said the $235 million project is the largest 300kV cable project delivered in Australia.

“This is the culmination of many years of planning, design and construction and will ensure a reliable electricity supply to more than 800,000 residents and the critical businesses and infrastructure helping to power the nation’s largest economy.

“I’d like to thank the entire team behind PSF, despite the enormous challenges of the pandemic and building this infrastructure in some of Australia’s most densely populated areas, they’ve delivered this project on time and under budget.

“The recent instability we’ve seen in the energy sector highlights the crucial role transmission and projects like this play in enabling Australia’s energy transition,” Mr Redman said.

Construction on the PSF project began in August 2020 and included:

• Installing a new 20km 330kV underground cable between Potts Hill and Alexandria
• Upgrading Transgrid substations at Potts Hill, Alexandria and Picnic Point
• Installing additional conduits so there is space for a second cable to be added in the future as demand increases
• Constructing cable bridges for the cable to cross rail corridors

Project Director Colin Mayer said construction partners at Taihan and Garde, Zinfra, and GE helped meet technical challenges.

“It’s very satisfying that we delivered the project with great co-operation between our contractors and Transgrid – we worked as one team and we’ve delivered a great outcome for the people of Sydney,” Mr Mayer said.

With the route passing through areas which have seen significant construction disruption in recent years Transgrid also thought ahead for the PSF project.

“During construction we installed extra conduits which means when we need to put in additional cables in the future we can use those spare conduits and there will be much less disruption for residents and businesses,” Mr Mayer said.

Transgrid also collaborated with Transport for NSW to deliver the Bedwin Road Cycle Bridge which serves double duties – providing a route for cyclists over the rail line at St Peters and carrying the PSF cables within the bridge structure.

“By working with key stakeholders and being creative with our design we were able to not only solve a major logistical challenge but have delivered a meaningful asset for the community to use for many years,” he said.

Transgrid also worked to provide meaningful support to local businesses directly impacted by construction on PSF by engaging Realise Business to implement a strategy to help businesses ride out building work with minimal disruption.

During construction Transgrid also provided $190,000 in community grants to support the work of local not-for-profit groups along the project route.

 “We’ve learned many positive lessons from this project and will leverage this success by taking those lessons into our other major projects including EnergyConnect, VNI West and HumeLink,” Mr Redman said.