Transmission network owner Transgrid announced on Thursday it has completed the $235 million Powering Sydney’s Future project which it said will secure electricity supply to the Sydney CBD and surrounding areas for decades to come.
The project involved the installation of a 20-kilometre 330kV underground cable from Potts Hill in Sydney’s southwest to the inner-city suburb of Alexandria. Substations at Potts Hill, Alexandria and Picnic Point were also upgraded while additional conduits were installed along the cable route to allow for a second cable to be added in the future as demand increases.
Sydney’s CBD and surrounding areas were previously serviced by electricity cables installed more than 50 years ago and were reaching the end of their serviceable life.
Transgrid chief executive officer Brett Redman said the Powering Sydney’s Future project, which commenced in 2020, is the largest 300kV cable project yet delivered in Australia.
“This is the culmination of many years of planning, design and construction and will ensure a reliable electricity supply to more than 800,000 residents and the critical businesses and infrastructure helping to power the nation’s largest economy,” he said.
Image: Transgrid
Redman said the project, which was fast tracked by the NSW government in response to growing peak electricity demand, driven largely by new infrastructure investment and population growth, had been delivered “on time and under budget”.
The Powering Sydney’s Future project is one of a suite of major electricity transmission projects being undertaken by Transgrid and Redman said it would inform other projects considered vital as Australia’s transition to renewable energy generation continues to accelerate.
“The recent instability we’ve seen in the energy sector highlights the crucial role transmission and projects like this play in enabling Australia’s energy transition,” he said. “We’ve learned many positive lessons from this project and will leverage this success by taking those lessons into our other major projects including EnergyConnect, VNI West and HumeLink.”
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