Major projects

Planning for the future – Power and Water’s five-year, $1.526 billion works program

With the growth of the Territory, Power and Water needs to match demand from the growing residential, business and industrial community with reliable power, water and sewerage services.

We live and work in a tough environment with extremes in weather. It is an ongoing challenge to get services ‘on the ground’ where they are required and to meet current and future demand. Some of the Territory's power, water and sewerage infrastructure installed is also now due for major refubishment or replacement and this is also part of this major works program.

The five-year, $1.526 billion investment currently underway to build, upgrade and maintain infrastructure is the largest investment in essential services in the Territory’s history.

Electricity generation

• Owen Springs Power Station - This brand new power station 25km south of Alice Springs has the capacity to meet the town's power needs for the next 50 years. Three new gas turbines were delivered to and installed at the site in 2010. High voltage transmission lines have been installed to connect the power station to the Lovegrove Zone Substation in Alice Springs, which is also being upgraded. Final commissioning of the system is underway and expected to deliver electricity to Alice Springs mid-2011.
• Weddell Power Station - Three highly efficient machines will soon operate solely on natural gas, ensuring that Weddell emits far less greenhouse gases than other comparable power stations. This adds about 25 per cent to the generation capacity on the Darwin-Katherine power system.
• Rolls Royce turbines for Channel Island Power Station - Two new 45MW units are being installed at Channel Island Power Station, the largest electricity source for Darwin and Katherine, to increase capacity and allow refurbishment of the older units at the site.

Electricity distribution

• The Undergrounding Power Project has already connected 698 properties in Nightcliff to underground power. Underground networks have been installed In Rapid Creek and Millner, with commissioning and changeover (from overhead to underground power supply) nearing completion and power pole removal now underway.
• Archer Zone Substation - The zone substation, which steps power down from 66kV transmission to 11kV for distribution into town, will provide an additional and alternative power supply to Palmerston to meet the demand from a growing CBD and new suburbs currently under development.
• Progressing Power and Water - Mervyn Davies' Report - A works program to thoroughly test all zone substation and associated equipment, scheduling repairs, upgrades and maintenance to improve the security of electricity supply across the Northern Territory.
• Marrakai Zone Substation - To cater for the growing electricity load in the rural area a new 66/22kV zone substation is being built on the Arnhem Highway near the junction with Marrakai Road. The project involves two 2.5 MVA transformers and turning the 66kV transmission line which runs along the highway between Humpty Doo and Mary River zone substations into the new zone substation.
• Leanyer Zone Substation will reduce the load upon and provide backup to Casuarina Zone Substation and will be an alternative supply route for customers such as the Royal Darwin and Darwin Private Hospitals, the Casuarina commercial precinct and Charles Darwin University.

Water supply

• Darwin CBD water supply enhancement - Darwin's central business district is growing rapidly and new water mains are needed to meet demand. Power and Water has installed 1.2km of pipe along the south side of the Esplanade and Daly Street. Work has now commenced to place 2km of mains along Dinah Beach Road, Duke Street, Burt Street, Day Street and McMinn Street with direct drilling under Daly Street bridge and McMinn Street. This project will ensure continuing water supply to the CBD, Stuart Park and surrounds.
• Raising the full supply level of Darwin River Dam - The full supply level of Darwin River Dam has been increased by 20 per cent with the raising of the dam spillway by 1.3 metres in 2009 and 2010. This work has increased the capacity of the reservoir, which supplies Darwin, Palmerston and surrounding rural areas. The project will be finalised with works on the intake tower in 2011.
• Manton Dam water quality sampling project is ongoing. The project involves the release of water from the dam to the Manton River, and a program of water quality and environmental monitoring. The project will assist Power and Water in its understanding of the behaviour of the reservoir and the variability of water quality. This will assist Power and Water to consider how and when Manton Dam may be returned to service as part of the Darwin Region Water Supply Source Strategy as well as its use as an emergency supply.

Sewerage services

• Larrakeyah Outfall Closure Plan - Power and Water is progressing works to allow the closure of the Larrakeyah sewerage outfall in 2011 by diverting flows to the Ludmilla wastewater treatment plant. Sewer diversion works are underway. Ludmilla wastewater treatment plant will be upgraded in two stages in the 2010 and 2011 dry seasons.
• Water Reuse in the Alice Project - The Alice Springs Water Reclamation Plant, which has won a national Engineers Australia Award, was opened in May 2008 and can recycle up to 600 mega litres of water a year - a valuable resource in the desert town.