TransGrid today announced the commencement of environmental studies as part of a $57 million investment into the Orange region to meet growing energy demand and maintain high levels electricity reliability.
“Peak Summer and Winter electricity demand in the Orange region is forecast to increase by around 14% over the next eight years,” said Steve Jones, Manager of Design and Construct Projects at TransGrid.
“In order to meet this increasing demand, TransGrid has undertaken the Orange North Redevelopment Project, a $10 million investment in refurbishment works on the existing substation, including the replacement of three transformers with two modern units,” said Mr Jones.
“This upgrade will effectively increase the substation's capacity by 25%, enabling the substation to service almost double the load,” he said.
The project also involves the installation of a new $46 million switching station approximately 800 metres North of the existing substation site and transmission line rearrangements in order to join the new switching station to existing network infrastructure.
“Since its establishment over 50 years ago, the physical room available at the existing Orange substation site has been restricted by both residential and industrial developments, so TransGrid is unable to complete the necessary upgrades within the boundaries of the existing site,” said Mr Jones.
“The construction Orange North Switching Station provides TransGrid with the opportunity to upgrade the Orange Substation, while also maintaining the level of power reliability currently enjoyed by the Orange community,” he said.
“Orange Substation is a vital component in the Central West's electricity network, and its upgrade is an important investment for the future power supply to the 40,000 people in the Orange, Cabonne and Blayney local government areas”.
The Review of Environmental Factors is due to commence this month and is expected to be completed by the end of August.