Overview
The Kaban Green Power Hub is a renewable energy project located near Ravenshoe in the Atherton Tablelands, 80 km south-west of Cairns. Being developed by Neoen, it consists of a 157MW wind farm with approval for a 100MW battery, and a network upgrade to increase the capacity of the existing 132kV coastal transmission line from Townsville to Cairns to permanently operate at 275kV. Once the 28 turbine wind farm is operating, it is expected to generate 457GWh of affordable clean energy each year, enough to power around 100,000 Queensland homes.
Powerlink has constructed a new switching station at Tumoulin and three transmission towers to connect the wind farm to the grid. Two of these transmission towers stand at 85 metres, the tallest-ever towers in Powerlink’s network to allow the new stretch of line to cross directly over existing 132kV and 275kV lines.
The new switching station will play a vital role monitoring and controlling the flow, stability and voltage of electricity being generated by the Kaban Green Power Hub and across Powerlink’s transmission network.
Kaban is also the cornerstone project for the Northern Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (REZ).
Visit the Kaban Green Power Hub website for more information on the project.
Status
Construction work started in September 2021. Assembly of the three new transmission towers was completed in June 2022, and construction of the Tumoulin Switching Station was completed in September 2022.
Stringing of the new line between the towers utilised a drone, which was a first for Powerlink.
All Powerlink works are now complete, with the switching station energised, and the first turbine of the Kaban Green Power Hub energised in October 2022. Final testing and commissioning activities is expected to occur at the end of 2022 (weather permitting).
Project fast facts
- First project Powerlink used a drone for line stringing
- Two tallest transmission towers on Powerlink’s network standing at 85m
- Tumoulin Switching Station built at 1,000m above sea level, the highest in the state
- 95 pad foundations requiring more than 1,000m3 of concrete sourced locally
- More than 20,000m of multicore cable installed
- More than 3,000m of earth grid conductor installed
- More than 90,000hrs worked in construction
- 430m of fencing installed by local supplier