Australia's Sunshine Coast power supply recently received a boost after ENERGEX flicked the switch on its $3 million upgrade to the local electricity network.

Around 10,000 homes and businesses stretching from Mooloolaba to Forest Glen will benefit from the upgrade at ENERGEX’s Mooloolaba substation.

The upgrade included the installation of a second 30 MVA transformer, effectively doubling the electricity capacity at the substation.

The upgrade will assist ENERGEX to continue to provide reliable and safe power to an area that is consuming record amounts of electricity.

The Sunshine Coast is one of the fastest growing areas in South East Queensland, with around 8,000 additional homes and businesses connecting to the ENERGEX power network each year.

With substantial increases forecast for domestic and commercial growth, and an increase in power consumption because of factors such as affordable air-conditioning, on current estimates the Sunshine Coast is set to increase power usage by around 40 percent over the next six years.

ENERGEX is committed to providing a reliable electricity network throughout South East Queensland, and upgrades such as the new transformer at the Mooloolaba substation will ensure we meet the growing demands for power in years to come.

The Mooloolaba substation upgrade is just one part of ENERGEX’s $180 million investment on the North Coast Region in the past three years.

The project is part of a record $4 billion-plus five-year capital expenditure program currently being undertaken by ENERGEX. In the 2007-08 financial year ENERGEX is investing around $800 million on upgrades to its electricity network while a further $300 million-plus has been set aside to maintain and operate the network – that’s an overall average of more than $3 million a day.