TransGrid Publishes Application Notice: Supply to Far North Coast (28 April 2008)

The far north coast area of New South Wales includes the Ballina, Bellingen (part), Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Kyogle, Lismore and Richmond Valley local government areas. It has a population of around 270,000. The area's electrical load is characterised primarily by rural loads with urban residential loads and commercial/light industrial loads in the main population centres.

TransGrid and Country Energy are proposing the construction of a new large transmission network asset to increase the capacity of the transmission network supplying the area, and have published an application notice.

The proposal's major components are:

• Uprating of the 96C Armidale to Coffs Harbour 132 kV line to a conductor temperature of 100 OC;
• Construction of a new 330 kV line between Dumaresq 330 kV switching station and Lismore 330/132 kV substation;
• Provision of 330 kV switchgear at Dumaresq and Lismore to connect the new line;
• Provision of 50 MVAr 330 kV line connected shunt reactors at Dumaresq and Lismore;
• Provision of two 40 MVAr 132 kV capacitors at each of Lismore and Coffs Harbour 330/132 kV substations; and
• Provision of a second 330/132 kV transformer and related 330 kV and 132 kV switchgear at Coffs Harbour 330/132 kV substation.

These works are estimated to cost $190 million and could be completed by late 2011.

TransGrid invites submissions on the application notice from interested parties. The closing date for submissions is 06/06/2008.

Submissions or other enquiries should be directed by email to:

regulatory.consultation AT transgrid.com.au

A copy of the application notice can be downloaded from the Current Consultations page.