Giant equipment rolls across NSW for HumeLink substation builds

Two shipments, each carrying a 124‑tonne transformer that is the size of a small house, have arrived at Maragle Substation in the Snowy Valleys in recent weeks.

A third shipment carrying a 134-tonne shunt reactor was delivered to Bannaby Substation in the Southern Tablelands on Thursday 7 May.

HumeLink Program Director John Burke said the arrival of these units marks a major step in building the new and upgraded substations that will anchor the 365‑kilometre transmission project.

“As part of HumeLink, we are constructing new substations at Maragle and Gregadoo, and upgrading our existing substations at Wagga Wagga and Bannaby,” he said.

“These transformers and shunt reactors are the core pieces of equipment that will enable the substations to help transmit cleaner, more affordable energy to millions of households and businesses across NSW.

“They will help stabilise the flow of electricity, manage voltage, and allow huge amounts of renewable energy to move safely across the state.”

HumeLink will ultimately take delivery of 16 transformers and eight shunt reactors, which are the first three-phase shunt reactors installed at 500kv in the Australian electricity industry.

Maragle will be the first substation in Transgrid’s network to feature three 500 kV transformer banks, which will enable HumeLink to unlock Snowy 2.0’s full output of 2,200 megawatts — enough energy to power up to three million homes for a week.

Mr Burke said this equipment is arriving in a series of oversize overmass convoys involving six months of planning and consultation with an array of different stakeholders.

“Safety is central to all traffic and vehicle operations on HumeLink and for these movements we have worked closely with the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator, utilities, local councils, NSW Police and Transport for NSW,” he said.

“The heavy‑haul convoys include at least three prime movers — one pulling and two pushing — together with pilot vehicles, police escorts and support crews navigating steep terrain, narrow bridges and overhanging branches,” he said.

“We are grateful for the community’s patience and understanding during this complex logistical exercise, which is essential to the delivery of Australia’s energy transition.”

For more information about HumeLink, go to: https://www.transgrid.com.au/projects-innovation/humelink

Media enquiries: James Atkinson 0475 965 030 / james.atkinson@transgrid.com.au