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Major Projects

Planning for the Future – Power and Water’s five year, $814M investment.

With the Territory booming ahead, Power and Water needs to be able to provide a growing residential, business and industrial community with reliable power, water and sewerage services.

We live and work in a tough environment with severe extremes in weather.  It is an on going challenge to get services ‘on the ground’ where they are required and to meet current and future demand.  Day to day power demand is expected to grow by 7.1% within 12 months (peak demand by 2.5%) and water by 1.5%. 

The five year, $814M investment in upgrading and maintaining facilities is the largest investment in essential services in the Territory’s history.  Power and Power has allocated $592M for capital and $222M for repairs and maintenance initiatives under this program across power generation, power networks, water, sewerage and business services.

Major projects include:

$126.6 million for a new power station at Weddell to service Darwin and Palmerston
$25.0 million for Darwin Sewage Strategy - closing the Larrakeyah Outfall
$10.0 million to upgrade Ludmilla Waste Treatment Plant
$41.7 million for a new power station at Brewer and transmission line to Alice Springs
$12.5 million for undergrounding power in Darwin suburbs
$12.2 million for new power sub-station in Archer for Palmerston
$11.5 million for power upgrades in Katherine, Tennant Creek and Yulara
$8.5 million to raise Darwin River Dam by 1.3 m increasing capacity by 20%
$8.0 million upgrade to Howard East Borefield Stage 2 increasing capacity by 6%
$3.2 million upgrade to Roe Creek Borefield in Alice Springs

Current Power and Water Major Projects:

• Manton Dam Water Test Project
  Power and Water will begin a project in May 2008 at Manton Dam to test the water quality in the dam under a range of conditions. The project will help Power and Water to deal with any water quality issues that may arise should the dam be called on to provide an emergency supply.
• Darwin Sewer Strategy - Larrakeyah Outfall Closure $35 million
  Power and Water Corporation is undertaking a program of works to allow the closure of the Larrakeyah sewage outfall by the 2011, in accordance with its wastewater discharge licence. It is part of the Darwin Sewer Strategy which includes the diversion of sewage from the Larrakeyah catchment to the Dinah Beach Trunk Sewer, further upgrades to the Ludmilla Wastewater Treatment, duplication of the East Point effluent rising main and extension of the East Point outfall.
• Ben Hammond Complex Stage 2 redevelopment
  PWC is currently redeveloping the Ben Hammond Complex on Iliffe Street in Stuart Park. The aim of the redevelopment is to meet the long term needs of PWC including staffing requirements, operational functions, staff and public safety (including compliance with building control standards) and environmental standards.
• Construction of the Frances Bay Zone Substation
  The $6.9M contract to construct the Frances Bay Zone Substation was awarded to Sitzler Bros (Darwin) following a competitive tendering process. Once completed, the Frances Bay Zone Substation will increase security of supply by providing an alternative source of electricity to the Darwin Central Business District. This substation will also help meet growing demand for electricity, due to new projects such as the Waterfront Development. It will be located near the Harbour View Plaza building.
• Construction of the Archer Zone Substation
  Construction will begin in the 2006-07 financial year on the Archer Zone Substation. This substation will improve reliability in the Palmerston area and is expected to be completed in 2007-08.
• Raising the Height of Darwin River Dam
  Raising the height of Darwin River Dam is required to provide additional water to meet increased demand in the Darwin, Palmerston and rural areas. Raising the 30 metre high Dam by up to 1.5 metres will increase available yield by around 20%. All existing downstream infrastructure, such as the pumpstation and rising mains are capable of supplying additional water, this raising the existing structure is an efficient and cost effective source of development option. Investigations in the potential to raise Darwin River Dam have indicated that it is technically and environmentally feasible to raise the existing wall up to 1.5 metres in height.
• Undergrounding Power in Darwin
  The Undergrounding Power Project has now been completed in Nightcliff with around 700 properties now having underground power. Work to underground the power supply to around 675 properties in Rapid Creek commenced in October 2006 with the first 343 properties due to be completed by mid-2008. The remaining properties are due to be completed by late 2008. Design work has commenced on Millner, which is the next suburb programmed for undergrounding power. More >
• Future Gas Supply for Power Generation
  A Gas Sale Agreement between the Power and Water Corporation and Eni Australia was finalised in late June 2006. This agreement means the Northern Territory’s electricity needs will be met for the next 25 years, with the gas used to run power stations in all major centres.

  Eni will extract the gas from the Blacktip Gas Field, which is located around 100km west of Wadeye in the Timor Sea.

  • Another Milestone to Meet Territory’s Future Electricity Needs
  • Major Milestone Reached to Secure Gas to Power the NT
• City Gate gas terminal station – new generator to increase electricity supply to the Top End; and New generator for Ron Goodin Power Station
  Work will commence in the 2006-07 financial year on the supply and installation of new generating units for both Darwin and Alice Springs. Increased generating capacity is needed to meet demand growth in both centres.

  In Darwin, the additional unit will be procured and commissioned at a new site near the City Gate gas terminal station on the Channel Island Road. It will be commissioned prior to the 2007 wet season. Tenders were called in mid-2006 on this $35 million project.

• Replacing the SCADA system at Hudson Creek System Control Centre
  The SCADA system at the Hudson Creek System Control in Darwin will be replaced with an upgraded version. The existing building will also be extended to house the new control and data acquisition system. The building tender was released in June 2006, and the cost of the project is valued at $6 million.

• New Owen Springs Power Station will help to eliminate noise issues from the Ron Goodin Power Station
  The new Owen Springs Power Station at the Brewer Estate will be the future home of the Titan and Taurus gas turbines which will significantly lower noise emissions from the Ron Goodin Power Station in Alice Springs.  The tender process to build the new power station and to move the turbines during 2008 is progressing well.
• Solar Dishes at Hermannsburg, Lajamanu and Yuendumu
• Water Re-use in the Alice
  The Power and Water Board has approved $10.4 million for the infrastructure phase of the project that will achieve zero dry weather overflows.