ENERGEX is investing more than $13 million in the local electricity network and upgrading the company’s Noosaville Substation. The Noosaville Substation will be upgraded with a new 132/11-kV 60-MVA transformer, a new switchboard and a new capacitor bank. This equipment will be connected to the existing network. Work commenced in January and more than 13,000 local homes and businesses will benefit from the project which includes upgrading the Noosaville Substation, doubling the capacity.

The upgrade will ensure the local communities of Noosaville, Tewantin, Sunrise Beach, Sunshine Beach, Noosa Junction and Noosa Heads, including the Hastings Street tourism precinct, continue to have a reliable electricity supply into the future.

In addition to the substation upgrade, new underground power cables and associated electrical equipment will be installed in Noosa Heads on Upper Hastings Street, Allambi Rise, Little Cove Road and Pandanus Street. Overhead powerlines in this area will be removed to improve the visual amenity of the surrounding area.

This additional capacity will allow for current and future power usage in Noosaville and surrounding areas which according to ENERGEX’s North Coast Asset Manager Steven Lynch is increasing due to the swift uptake of energy intensive lifestyle products.

“As with most areas in South East Queensland affordable home air-conditioning and the installation of large screen televisions and similar consumer products have increased domestic power usage significantly,” Lynch said. “In fact, the average South East Queensland home now uses up to 70 per cent more electricity than they did just 10 years ago so it easy to see why ENERGEX is working hard to meet the community’s power needs.”

Lynch thanked local residents and motorists in advance for their patience during the necessary upgrade work and said the project is expected to be completed in early 2012.

In the past five years more than $340 million has been invested in the region with $42.5 million worth of substation projects recently completed and more than $70 million worth of projects either planned or already underway.

The project is part of a record $5 billion-plus, five-year capital expenditure program being undertaken by ENERGEX. In the 2010-11 financial year ENERGEX, South East Queensland’s electricity distributor, is investing around $1.02 billion on upgrades to its electricity network while a further $342 million-plus has been set aside to maintain and operate the network – that’s an overall average of more than $3.7 million a day.