Melbourne, 29 November 2005
The Basslink high voltage interconnector linking Tasmania to the national power grid will be fully operational by Australia Day 26 January 2006.
Siemens has today advised National Grid Australia (formerly Basslink Pty Ltd) of this date of operation.
The implementation of a number of project acceleration measures will ensure the project will be completed within two months of the original scheduled completion date.
Siemens Australia and New Zealand Chairman & Managing Director, Albert Goller, said the resources of Siemens in both Australia and Germany were immediately mobilised to give the Basslink project absolute priority.
“We pride ourselves on delivering these complex projects on-time and on-budget and we are pleased to have recovered quickly from the disappointing news we received earlier this year when a number of transformers were discovered to be damaged in-transit from Germany,” said Mr Goller.
In December 2004, an accident onboard the ship carrying vital converter transformers to Australia for the Basslink Project caused internal damage which threatened to seriously delay the project.
“Within days of the discovery of damage to these critical transformers and without waiting for associated insurance assessments, Siemens had decided to immediately manufacture and ship new transformers for what is one of the largest and most ambitious power infrastructure projects ever undertaken in Australia,” said Mr Goller.
“We are now very pleased this piece of critical infrastructure will be fully operational in January 2006 at a time of peak power demand.”
The Siemens Power Transmission & Distribution centre of manufacturing excellence in Nuremberg, Germany, immediately revised manufacturing schedules to ensure the necessary transformers for Basslink were given first priority.
“Our focus over the past few months has been entirely on delivering this project for our customer, National Grid Australia and the communities of Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia,” said Mr Goller.
“We have an acute understanding of the demands placed on the supply of power during the peak summer period which has contributed to the priority given to this project.