- IMPACT: The project will increase the renewable energy that can be delivered through the national electricity grid, helping Australia's transition to a low emissions economy.
ACCIONA –together with local partner Genus– has been selected by Transgrid, the public grid operator in New South Wales (Australia), to build the eastern section of the HumeLink power transmission line.
The AU$1.4 billion (€850 million) project is one of the largest energy infrastructure initiatives in the country and will involve the design and construction of 237 kilometers of 500 kV overhead transmission lines from Bannaby to Wondalga, and the upgrading of the 500 kV Bannaby substation.
The main objective of the project is to reshape the electricity market in the region, which will result in increasing transfer capacity between southern New South Wales and the state's major load centers (Sydney, Newcastle and Wollongong), strengthening the stability and reliability of the electricity transmission grid, and facilitating the transition of the grid to new generation sources.
HumeLink will deliver a cheaper, more reliable, and sustainable grid by increasing the amount of renewable energy that can be distributed across the national electricity system, helping Australia's transition to a low carbon future. In addition, the project will create more than 1,600 jobs in the construction of the new infrastructure.
The HumeLink contracts are structured in two stages, and pending regulatory approvals and the final investment decision, with early works to begin immediately and finish in mid-2024, including detailed design, investigations, procurement and project mobilisation. The second stage comprises main construction works and will begin after all project approvals have been granted and the final investment decision made, expected to occur in July 2024.
ACCIONA has more than 20 years' experience in the design and construction of transmission grids and electrical substations of different sizes, ranging from low-voltage installations to lines and substations in Spain and around the world including Kenya, Mexico and Peru.