ENERGEX began work in late February on a significant upgrade to the Woodford and D’Aguilar power network, Queensland, Australia with a $6 million project to upgrade the Woodford substation.

The upgrade will include the installation of an additional 15 MVA transformer at the substation more than doubling the current electrical capacity. The project to upgrade electrical supply in the area will also include upgrading the overhead and underground electricity network along roads in the nearby area.

Work is expected to last for around six months, and once complete almost 3,000 homes and businesses in the area will benefit from the work.

According to ENERGEX’s Network Programs Group Manager Kevin Ball substantial increases in local power usage and growth were the drivers behind the upgrades.

“It’s a fact that homes of today use significantly more power than those of just a decade ago,” said Ball. “Home air-conditioning, plasma televisions and other power-intensive consumer items have pushed the average home’s consumption up between 50 and 70 per cent over the past decade.

The project is also 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 –an overall average of more than $3 million a day.