November 22, 2012
A new electricity substation is planned for industrial land in River Road, Kingaroy, with construction due to begin in 2018.
An Ergon Energy spokesman says the substation is required in order to provide Kingaroy residents with a reliable electricity supply into the future.
“As far as cost is concerned, it cannot be determined at this stage because detailed planning has not commenced, although substations of this type represent multi-million dollar investments to ensure a safe and reliable electricity supply for the local community,” he said.
Ergon says the establishment of new housing estates and increasing industrial development in Kingaroy will increase the demand for electricity.
“As a result, we have identified that a new substation is needed to adequately cater for the forecast future growth in the region,” the company’s website states.
After investigating a number of sites and consulting with South Burnett Regional Council, Ergon has purchased land at 75-79 River Road, adjacent to Hayman’s Electrical.
Ergon says it carried out a detailed analysis against a number of criteria to assess social and environmental impacts, as well as technical requirements and financial implications.
It says the site is big enough to provide a wide buffer for landscaping and vegetation to screen it from surrounding properties.
It is also located in an industrial zone and is close to the existing power lines it will need to connect to, eliminating the need to build additional high voltage power lines along suburban streets.
It is relatively distant from any residential area, with the nearest house being about 100m from the site boundary.
“Most importantly, we were able to buy a large enough block of land to provide a significant buffer zone that can be planted to screen the site and minimise the visual impact on residents in Kelvyn Street,” Ergon said.
Other locations considered were two other sites on River Road and a site off Stebhens Road.
Ergon Energy has asked community and interested stakeholders to contact the project team by December 12 with any feedback about the project.
- More information about the Kingaroy South substation project is available on the Ergon Energy website
[UPDATED November 23, 2012]
