Business
17 September, 2024
Powerlink confident it has CopperString on track for delivery
Speaking at the Meeting of the Mines gathering, Powerlink says it will get CopperString built by 2029.
Around 85 per cent of the pieces of the CopperString puzzle have been procured for the $6.3 billion electricity line, says Tom Dockray, who says the project is on track for completion in 2029.
The man tasked by Powerlink to deliver the project told the Meeting of the Mines that it was important that orders were placed overseas so they would arrive on time.
“I think it’s fair to say there’s a lot of competition globally for the type of equipment that we need for CopperString. Australia is not the only area that’s going through an energy transition and there is tremendous demand for all of this long lead electrical equipment,” Mr Dockray said.
“It’s really pleasing to report that we’re basically at about 85% completion of all of our major procurement.”
The project leader said making sure new major projects, including mines and renewable energy sites, could link up with CopperString was a key criteria.
Mr Dockray said even though Ergon Energy was responsible for the distribution of the electricity, Powerlink was engaging with stakeholders so it could ensure that any potential customers could get connected to CopperString.
“If there were any clients or customers that wanted to directly connect to the transmission line, Powerlink goes through a process with them. I think we are also very active in talking to all of those potential clients or partners, because obviously we want to understand their requirements and making sure that we can actually facilitate their connections,” he said.
“We do have a team in our network business development area, which works with all of the project proponents that want to connect.
“The smaller requirements, they would connect through Ergon.”