On 29 April 2010 TransGrid, the state-owned corporation responsible for NSW’s high voltage electricity network, will commence construction on a major redevelopment of its Beaconsfield West Substation in Alexandria.
Commissioned in 1979 as the first 330kV substation in the Sydney inner metropolitan area, the Beaconsfield West Substation is a vital component of the State’s transmission network.
“Beaconsfield West is one of TransGrid’s two major substations in the inner Sydney area and its redevelopment and upgrade is an important step in maintaining the reliability of inner Sydney’s power supply,” said Mr Chris FitzGerald, General Manager of Capital Program Delivery at TransGrid.
“The project involves upgrading high voltage equipment in the substation, the construction of new buildings and the installation of a third power transformer at the site,” he said.
“These works will increase the capacity of the substation by 50%, giving the substation the capability to supply the equivalent of around half a million average homes.”
“The refurbishment of the substation’s equipment and the installation of new infrastructure on site will assist TransGrid in providing a reliable electricity supply to Sydney’s CBD and inner metropolitan area into the future.”
Works for the first stage of the upgrade are scheduled for completion in November 2012.