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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“This is the single largest investment we’ve ever made in one specific region of the Powercor network,” program delivery manager Luke Plocinski said.<\/p>\n
“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.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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 […]<\/p>\n