Works start at Yass to deliver extra renewable energy into the NSW and ACT grid

Transgrid’s Head of Infrastructure Development Jeremy Roberts said: “We are upgrading the Yass and Stockdill substations to unlock an additional 170 megawatts of energy. That’s enough power for an additional 30,000 customer homes.”

Transgrid is using innovative SmartValve technology from Smart Wires on the Victoria to NSW Interconnector (VNI) upgrade project, to enable renewable energy from Victoria to flow to where demand is greatest.

“With SmartValve technology we upgrade our substations while using existing transmission line infrastructure. No new lines are needed, so extra energy is unlocked with minimal environmental and community impacts associated with building or upgrading existing lines,” Mr Roberts said.

“At Yass and Stockdill substations, Transgrid will be the first large scale user of SmartValve technology in Australia, which is used extensively in the UK, the US and South America, to help unlock renewable energy flows and achieve net zero targets.”

Renewable energy is often produced in remote regions and it can cause bottlenecks on grid infrastructure. By using SmartValve technology, power is pushed off overloaded transmission lines and pulled onto lines with spare capacity.

“Clever technology like this helps us to meet the challenge of supporting a decarbonised future, while ensuring a consistent, reliable supply of lower-cost energy for customers,” Mr Roberts said.

Commissioning of Stockdill substation, which will unlock 120 megawatts of the extra power, will occur in April. Work at Yass substation, which will provide the additional 50 megawatts of energy, is scheduled for completion in late 2022.

The extra renewable energy is on track to flow into the NSW and ACT grids by December 2022.

For more information about the VNI project: https://transgrid.com.au/VNI  

Transgrid media contact:

Wendy Searle 0400 924 974