Far North Queensland Archives - Energy Source & Distribution

Australia’s oldest wind turbines get new lease on life

Nadia Howland — Thu, 08 Aug 2024 00:49:57 +0000

Thursday Island’s iconic wind turbines have been reinstated after a major refurbishment that will extend their life by 15 years as part of Ergon Energy Network’s commitment to decarbonising remote communities.

Thursday Island is one of the Torres Strait Islands and is located approximately 39km north of Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland.

Related article: Alinga’s Ruby Heard on equity through energy

Thursday Island’s wind turbines are some of the oldest operating in Australia and demonstrate the suitability of renewable energy in Australian conditions.

Ergon isolated networks manager Dane Thomas said, “It’s great to see the turbines in the air once again. Thursday Island has once again welcomed the winds of change and is embracing a renewable energy future after leading the way when the wind farm was established in 1997,” he said.

“While this was cutting-edge technology when it was initially installed, it was due for a major overhaul, so the generating equipment was shipped to a specialist facility in South Australia while the towers were maintained onsite.

Wind turbine being lifted by crane at night on Thursday Island (Image: Ergon Energy Network)

“With the completion of this $2 million project we have improved the reliability and efficiency of the wind turbines, which can generate enough energy to support around 100 high-use homes and are expected to save several thousand litres of diesel a week,” Thomas said.

To date, the wind turbines have generated more than 18,921MWh of renewable energy and savings of 220,000L of diesel a year on average.

As part of its commitment to decarbonising remote communities, and in consultation with the local councils and traditional owners, Ergon Energy Network is pursuing a range of renewable energy options on Thursday Island, including solar solutions.

“While the turbines can produce a lot of clean energy when the wind is blowing they won’t be as productive during those calm periods, known as ‘the doldrums’, and that’s why we need a mix of energy solutions,” Thomas said.

“There is widespread community interest in harnessing the power of the sun and we are working together with the council and other agencies to find the most suitable options and support a renewable energy future.”

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Ergon crews battle flood to restore power in Queensland

Nadia Howland — Sun, 17 Dec 2023 22:20:04 +0000

Ergon Energy crews are facing escalating flood waters in Cairns and Far North Queensland due to heavy rainfall as they work to restore power to communities following Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper.

“A serious flooding situation is currently unfolding across far north Queensland due to heavy rainfall,” an Ergon spokesperson explained.

“Major flood warnings are now current for a number of north tropical coast catchments and significant rises are occurring in numerous rivers and creeks across the Cape. Some areas in far north Queensland received more than 300mm of rain over the past 24 hours. Gordonvale just south of Cairns received more than 400mm.

“Conditions are changing quickly and are very dangerous. Multiple roads are closed due to flooding and damage (images attached), and the advice from authorities is for people to avoid the roads wherever possible.

“To ensure the safety of our crews in these dangerous conditions, Ergon Energy crews in Mareeba, Atherton and Cairns are only responding to life-threatening emergencies where it’s safe for them to do so.”

Ex-Tropical Cyclone Jasper left approximately 40,000 customers without power. While approximately 90% of these customers had power restored by 9pm on Saturday, 16 December, with a flood emergency currently in place, the number of power outages associated with this secondary event is continuing to grow.

Ergon Energy’s Outage Finder is a useful tool for information on outages and the text view will sort outages by council area, while general updates can be found on Ergon’s Tropical Cyclone Jasper page.

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Cyclone Jasper leaves 40,000 without power in Queensland

Nadia Howland — Wed, 13 Dec 2023 21:57:12 +0000

Ergon Energy says nearly 40,000 customers are without power across Far North Queensland as a result of Tropical Cyclone Jasper, which crossed the coast on December 13.

“There is likely to be widespread network damage across several shires, including Cairns, Douglas, Cassowary Coast, Mareeba, Tablelands and Yarrabah,” an Ergon spokesperson said.

“Where and when it is safe, crews will begin damage assessments so they can gauge how long it will take to repair the network and safely restore power.

“We won’t have accurate restoration timeframes until then, so we appreciate everyone’s patience.

“Our crews are leaders in disaster response and keen to get out there and get the power back on for their local communities, but there’s potentially a lot of damage over a widespread area and severe weather could hamper access to sites, so we need to set realistic community expectations.”

Ergon is reminding members of the community that fallen powerlines should be treated as live and dangerous. The best course of action is to stay away and report them to Ergon on 13 16 70 or emergency services on 000.

“Safety around the electricity network is our top priority.”

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Tourism goes electric in Far North Queensland

Nadia Howland — Mon, 11 Dec 2023 00:39:22 +0000

In a first for Australia’s private tour and charter sector, electric buses are set to roll out in Far North Queensland thanks to a new project backed by ARENA.

ARENA is providing $4.75 million in funding from the Driving the Nation Fund to Cairns tour and charters operator Tropic Wings for its Sustainable Transport in Tourism Project.

The project will support Tropic Wings to transition nearly a third of its fleet to electric with the delivery of 12 electric buses.

ARENA funding will contribute to the installation of 11 electric vehicle (EV) chargers, associated enabling infrastructure and two battery energy storage systems (BESS).

In collaboration with the Electric Vehicle Council, Tropic Wings will turn the lessons from the project into a blueprint for transitioning to battery electric vehicle (BEV) fleets for the tourism sector.

Small and medium operators face greater barriers in transitioning to BEVs compared to larger players. Higher upfront vehicle costs, limited existing electrical infrastructure and limited access to capital disincentivise small businesses from electrifying their fleets.

Tropic Wings director Michael Woodward said, “We’re committed to sustainability in tourism. Tropic Wings is at the forefront, shifting a substantial part of its fleet to BEVs, reducing carbon footprint, and inspiring others in the industry to embrace electric vehicles for sustainable tourism.”

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Milestone reached in Far North Queensland SuperGrid

Nadia Howland — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 01:59:54 +0000

The upgrade of an integral transmission line in Far North Queensland has been completed, with the capacity of the link between Townsville and Cairns being increased to 275kV from 132kV.

The boost in capacity will give Far North Queensland communities access to stronger and more reliable electricity, according to the state’s network operator, Powerlink Queensland.

Related article: Spotlight on the SuperGrid

It also supports the in-flight Far North Queensland Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), supporting the expected installation of 500-700MW of renewable generation across the region.

Kaban Green Power Hub, a foundation project of the Far North Queensland REZ, can now operate at full capacity, allowing Far North Queensland communities to capitalise on strong and clean wind energy.

This is one part of a two staged approach to strengthen the Far North Queensland electricity network with upgrade works on the Tully South Substation to be completed in April 2024.

Powerlink chief operating officer Gary Edwards said, “This is a significant milestone for the development and operability of the high voltage network, especially for communities across Far North Queensland.

“It allows the clean energy from Kaban’s Green Power Hub to operate at full capacity and allows for more renewable generators to connect into the grid.

“This additional resilience to our network will be further supported when Ross Substation upgrades are complete in early 2024.”

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Far North set to build second solar farm in two years

admin — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 01:55:10 +0000

Construction of a second large-scale solar farm – worth $220 million – for Queensland’s Far North is due to start early next year, The Cairns Post reports.

Lyon Solar has announced plans to start work on the farm at Lakeland, near Cooktown in April.

The new farm will be four times the size of its neighbouring farm, which was sold to Conenergy, and is expected to create 100 construction jobs.

Lyon Solar partner David Green said supportive councils in the Far North paved the way for renewables, and Lyon aim to create a renewable hub to enable long-term employment and growth opportunities.

Green admits while Lyon has on-sold their original solar plus battery project in the Cook Shire, the lessons learnt during the three years of developing that project are invaluable in ensuring the success of this latest project.

A $300 million solar farm is also being considered at a former gold mine 400km west of Cairns.

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