September 16, 2015
The construction of a proposed Kingaroy South Substation on a site in River Road, Kingaroy which was due to begin in 2018 has been shelved until 2025.
The South Burnett Regional Council was told on Wednesday the project had been deferred by Ergon Energy for several reasons but the chief one was that load growth had flattened out.
Forecasts for load growth were now about 21 per cent lower than original estimates.
This was partly due to the rise of in domestic and commercial solar use, and partly due to a slow economy.
Other factors that played a part in the decision were:
- New security and safety net criteria introduced in 2014-15
- New reliability standards based on 2010-11 levels which became effective on July 1, 2014
- Revised forward load forecasts, and
- New customer commitments which put price and affordability ahead of increased reliability
Councillors heard Ergon Energy are confident the existing substation can provide a safe and reliable power supply for the foreseeable future.
Work had been conducted on the existing site to improve reliability and this work is ongoing, they were told.
Ergon anticipate the new substation will now not be required until 2025.
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