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Powerlink has published a Project Assessment Conclusions Report (PACR) to address the secondary system condition risks at Sumner Substation.
Sumner Substation was established in 2006 as a 110 kilovolt (kV) switching station to meet the increasing demand in the western suburbs of Brisbane. Planning studies have confirmed there is a long-term requirement to continue to supply the existing electricity services provided by Sumner Substation.
The secondary systems at Sumner broadly perform the functions of transmission element protection, data collection, remote (and local) control and monitoring. The majority of Sumner’s secondary systems will reach the end of their technical service lives by June 2026, with only limited manufacturer support and spares available after this time. Over 80% of the 110kV secondary systems equipment is expected to reach an unsupportable level by June 2026.
In February 2024 Powerlink published a ‘Project Specification Consultation Report’ (PSCR) identifying the proposed preferred option to address the risks and claiming exemption from producing a ‘Project Assessment Draft Report’ (PADR) as allowed for under clause 5.16.4(z1) of the Rules.
There were no submissions received in response to the PSCR, which closed in May 2024. As a result, no additional credible options that could deliver a material market benefit have been identified and the outcomes of the economic analysis contained in the PACR remain unchanged from those published in the PSCR.
The PACR recommends implementation of Option 1, in-panel replacement of selected 110kV secondary systems equipment by December 2025 as the preferred solution to address risks at Sumner Substation. The indicative capital cost of the RIT-T project for the preferred option is $8.1 million in 2023/24 prices. Under this option, Design work will commence in 2024, with installation and commissioning of the new secondary systems completed by December 2025.
In the context of engagement activities with customers and the general community, Powerlink has assessed this RIT-T project as ‘minor’ on the RIT-T stakeholder engagement matrix.
A copy of the PACR is available below.