Project EnergyConnect is a proposed new 900-kilometre electricity interconnector (transmission line), which will run from Wagga Wagga in NSW to Robertstown in SA, with a connection to Red Cliffs in Victoria.
The NSW Section (Stage Two) – being delivered by Transgrid – includes approximately 700 kilometres of transmission infrastructure in NSW and will release of 800 MW transfer capacity and runs from Buronga to Wagga Wagga, and Buronga to Red Cliffs (the border of Victoria).
Transgrid is delivering the NSW section across two packages. The Eastern alignment is the section from Buronga to Wagga Wagga (540 kilometres). The Western section is from Chowilla on the SA/NSW border to Buronga in NSW and from Buronga to Monak at the NSW/Victorian border.
The full scope of works of each package includes:
Eastern Package
- a new 540-kilometre 330/500-kilovolt (kV) double-circuit transmission line from the Buronga Substation to the 330-kV Wagga Wagga Substation
- a new Dinawan Substation, approximately 170 kilometres east of Wagga Wagga
- an upgrade and expansion of the existing Wagga Wagga Substation
- minor substation works to connect the transmission line to the existing Buronga Substation, and
- access tracks, ancillary site earth and earthworks.
Western Package
- a new 130-kilometre 330-kV double-circuit transmission line from the SA/NSW border at Chowilla to the existing Buronga Substation
- an expansion of the existing 220-kV Borunga Substation to 330 kV, and
- upgrading approximately 22 kilometres of the existing 220-kV transmission line between the Borunga Substation and the NSW/Victorian border.
Key Dates
| Feb 2020 | RFT Open: NSW Section |
| Oct 2020 | Contract Awarded: NSW Section |
| Jun 2022 | Construction Commencement: NSW - Western Package |
| Sep 2023 | Construction Commencement: NSW Eastern Package |
| Sep 2026 | Expected Construction Completion: NSW Section |
Financing
| Equity Finance: | Transgrid |
| Debt Finance: | Federal Government |
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The Federal Government reached an agreement with TransGrid to provide up to $182 million in underwriting support for new transmission lines from the south of Coleambally to Wagga Wagga. |
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Procurement
| Procuring Agency: | Procurement will be undertaken by Transgrid in New South Wales |
| Tenderers (EOI/ROI): | Transgrid opened tenders for shortlisted bidders for design and construction of the NSW section of the project. |
| Shortlist: | TransGrid shortlisted three bidders to design and construct the NSW section, including CPB and UGL Engineering, an Elecnor Australia and Seymour White Constructions Joint Venture, and Quanta Power Australia. |
| Successful Tenderer: | SecureEnergy, a Clough and Elecnor Joint Venture. |
| Procurement note: | Hyosong has been selected to supply five Phase Shifting Transformers for the project. |
| Related contracts: |
PROJECT HISTORY
| Aug 2019 | The NSW Government declared the project as Critical State Significant Infrastructure, requiring TransGrid to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the project. |
| Nov 2019 | The NSW DPIE received a request to prepare the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the project from SA Border to Buronga. The SEARs was issued on 5 December 2019. |
| Jan 2020 | TransGrid announced a shortlist of three bidders for the design and construction of the NSW section to be built from the South Australian border to Wagga Wagga. |
| Feb 2020 | TransGrid opened tenders for shortlisted bidders for the NSW section of the project. |
| May 2020 | The NSW DPIE received revised request to prepare the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for a revised project scope. |
| Sep 2020 | The NSW DPIE issued the Secretary's Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the NSW-Eastern Section of the project. The Federal Government also announced 'up to' $250 million to accelerate the project, alongside the NSW-Victorian Interconnector and Marinus Link. |
| Oct 2020 | TransGrid announced the successful tenderer for the NSW section of the project. |
| Nov 2020 | The Environmental Impact Statement for the project's NSW-Western section was placed on public exhibition until 10 December. |
| May 2021 | The Australian Energy Regulator determined the final cost for the project and issued its final regulatory approval for the project, with a revised cost of $2.28 billion. The Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) also committed up to $295 million in debt finance for the the NSW and Victorian sections of the project in a hybrid-financing structure with TransGrid, who committed to financing the remained of the NSW section and will recover these costs through user charges. The Environmental Impact Statement for the South Australian section of the project was put on public exhibition, closing 25 June. |
| Jun 2021 | ElectraNet confirmed it will invest $457 million to deliver the South Australian section of the $2.3 billion Project EnergyConnect from Robertstown to the New South Wales border. |
| Sep 2021 | The NSW Government granted planning approval for the western section of the NSW portion of the project. The westrern section includes works between the NSW and SA Border near Renmark Rd, Transgrid’s existing substation at Buronga, and the NSW and Victorian border near Monak. |
| Jan 2022 | The NSW Government placed the Project EnergyConnect (NSW - Eastern section) Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on public exhibition from 19 January to 15 February 2022. |
| May 2022 | Early works construction commenced on the NSW – Western section of the project. |
| Jul 2022 | Main works construction commenced on the NSW - Western Package of the project. |
| Sep 2022 | The NSW Minister for Planning granted planning approval to the Project EnergyConnect (NSW - Eastern Section). |
| Sep 2023 | Construction commencement NSW - Eastern Package. |
Sector
Energy
Procurement approach
Unconfirmed |
Location
New South Wales |
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