Australia’s 900 km transmission project, EnergyConnect has announced connection of the first section of the new Buronga substation in south-western NSW to South Australia.
The 16ha Buronga substation in south-western NSW is the main hub for the project connecting NSW, Victoria, and South Australia. The first 220 kV section of the new substation has been connected to the existing Buronga substation.
A new double-circuit 330 kV transmission line covering 135 km from Buronga to the South Australian border is constructed and will be connected to South Australia for testing.
Buronga substation includes five phase-shifting transformers, two synchronous condensers and four shunt reactors. This equipment will keep the electricity grid stable and allow renewable energy to be transferred between states which will help deliver access to cheaper clean energy.
The Test for Energization phase of the project, including the synchronous condensers, has begun, after which the project will be ready for inter-network testing to be carried out by AEMO, when market conditions permit.
The next stages of work will include energizing the 330 kV equipment within the switchyard and testing of the new lines to both South Australia and Victoria. The project is on schedule to initiate inter-network testing of the new interconnector in the September quarter of 2024.
Construction is under progress in the east with more than 1,000 people working on the 540 km leg from Wagga Wagga to Buronga. A 460-worker accommodation camp has opened at Bundure, near Coleambally in the Riverina, with construction of another 250-bed camp underway on the Cobb Highway near Hay.
Crews have drilled and poured concrete foundations for 505 tower sites, assembled 185 towers, and erected 90 towers on the two lines between Wagga Wagga and Buronga.
Construction is also undergoing on a 330 kV Dinawan substation at Bundure, with 225,000 tons of fill and gravel imported to site and work progressing on synchronous condenser foundations. The substation will enable power flows between NSW, Victoria, and South Australia, and support development of new electricity generation in renewable energy zones, upon completion.
