Region powering towards electricity upgrades

A NEW Torquay power station is due to come online late this year to supply power to 20,000 homes in the Surf Coast-Geelong growth area.

The region’s electricity distributor Powercor says works are at an advanced stage for the new station, which it said would provide a more reliable power source for residents in Geelong’s south amid rapid population growth.

Powercor is investing a total of $110 million for substations at Torquay and Gheringhap, which would serve about 10,000 current customers in Geelong’s west where further housing development is earmarked.

The investment also includes installation of bushfire-mitigation technology at the new stations and at Waurn Ponds, protecting a total of 1450 kilometers of power lines and 60,000 homes and businesses.

Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiters (REFCLs) act as a power switch for electricity transmission systems, limiting energy released to damaged or impaired powerlines within milliseconds. The technology reduces risk of fires and blackouts.

The local REFCL rollout is the third and final stage of Powercor’s delivery across its Victorian network in response to recommendations from the 2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission.

“This is the single largest investment we’ve ever made in one specific region of the Powercor network,” program delivery manager Luke Plocinski said.

“This is about making our communities safer and we thank customers for their understanding as we work to further improve the safety of our network.”