ENERGEX, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, has commenced phase two of its near $800,000 project to upgrade the power supply to homes and businesses in Beaudesert, Queensland. New overhead powerlines and underground cables have been installed throughout the area and this phase of the project involves upgrading the existing Beaudesert substation located in Tubber Street.

The substation upgrade will include installing new electrical equipment that will increase its capacity and improve the reliability of the substation. Work also involves replacing and extending the fence surrounding the substation site to ensure community safety.

ENERGEX’s Works Group Manager Kevin Ball said forecast increase in local power usage was the driving force behind the upgrade. “Commercial and residential growth in the areas around Beaudesert and the increased use of power-hungry consumer lifestyle products such as home air conditioning has resulted in a sharp increase in power consumption,” Ball said. “Forecasts show that the area is set to increase power usage significantly over the next five years, and this project will ensure we can continue to provide a reliable electricity supply to homes and businesses in Beaudesert now and in the future.”

While most of the works will occur within the substation site, some excavation, heavy vehicle movement and footpath obstructions will be necessary to complete the upgrade. All work is expected to be completed by January 2009.

The project is part of a record $4 billion-plus five-year capital expenditure program currently being undertaken by ENERGEX. In the 2008-09 financial year ENERGEX is investing around $830 million on upgrades to its electricity network while a further $340 million-plus has been set aside to maintain and operate the network – that’s an overall average of more than $3 million a day.