Power set to be more reliable this summer

POWERCOR is aiming to deliver shorter electricity dropouts between Ballarat and Daylesford this summer through the installation of new switching technology.

Its engineers have developed a solution that will reduce some power outages to just seconds if and when they occur.

Two main powerlines deliver electricity to 7952 customers between Ballarat and Daylesford, passing through some of the state’s most heavily vegetated areas.

Powercor officials have said this makes the region prone to power outages, especially during major weather events.

But once installation is finished, the technology will provide a switch over capability between the two lines.

It means that if a fault happens on one line, the technology will detect its location and isolate the area before automatically switching supply to the other line, all in a matter of seconds.

Powercor network performance manager Daniel Smith said the upgrades will deliver benefits to customers and build on recent reliability improvements to the local network.

“Our customers rely on us to provide the essential power they depend on every day and this system could deliver the largest single improvement in reliability for the Daylesford community,” Mr Smith said.

“This solution will reduce the size and length of some outages by automatically detecting the location of a fault on one major powerline and redirecting power through the other.”

When an outage occurs now on one of the main lines, crews patrol and manually isolate and switch power, which can take at least 30 minutes depending on the fault’s location and complexity.

But they are installing extra switching devices on the two main lines, along with equipment that will act as the brains of the system at the Ballarat North zone substation.

Construction and testing of the new equipment is expected to be completed by the end of this year.