Stuart substation cable upgrade

The suburbs south of Townsville have seen a steady rate of growth in recent years.

The Elliot Springs development is seeing around 60-100 lots being developed each year, depending on economic conditions, with approximately 500 lots now in various stages of development. It is forecast that 10,600 residential premises are ultimately planned for the Elliot Springs development, which is estimated to be complete in around 2060.

To bolster the electricity supply to sustain the current rate of growth, as well as planning for future expansion of the network to support future growth, we are upgrading the high-voltage cables and some of the overhead network that supplies Townsville’s southern suburbs. Areas to benefit from the network upgrade include Alligator Creek, Cape Cleveland, Cluden, Cungulla, Elliot Springs, Julago, Nome and Stuart.

Areas south of Townsville that will benefit from this project.

Importantly, the upgrades will also give our teams more flexibility when operating the network, allowing us to shift loads and reduce the size and duration of outages.

Some early works have already commenced, with activities like locating cables and services in the area, as well as surveying works.

Construction of the cable upgrades from Stuart substation will commence in May 2024 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.

Construction of this type does come with some impacts to the near neighbours and the surrounding community, typically including:

• Noise, dust, and vibration. There may be some noise and minor dust disturbances, as well as the possibility of localised vibration from construction activities during the construction period.
• Construction traffic. An increase in the number of work and utility vehicles operating during construction at the substation and around the community during the overhead line works.
• Access and disruptions to traffic. We use traffic control and speed limitations during works to keep our crews and the public safe. If this is required around our work sites, it may result in short traffic delays or limited access to some areas during key construction periods. If this is required in your area, we will let you know through our project updates and construction notices.
• Hours of work. Work will generally be conducted between the hours of 6am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, however if work outside of these times is required, we will let you know through our project updates and construction notices.
• Planned power outages. There will be short outages required to complete these upgrades to the network. If your power supply is going to be affected by this work, you will receive a notification with all the details in the mail. You can also register for free SMS or email updates any time via our Customer Self Service.