10,000+ hours helping to secure our national grid
Published 10 September 2021
A project on behalf of our partner Transpower to de-commission a 220/33kV transformer in Edgecumbe and replace with a new supply transformer, along with an upgrade to the oil contaminant system on-site, saw our central North Island teams contribute over 10,000 people hours on this important installation to help secure our national grid.
Our team overcame many interesting challenges to deliver this project including operating within strict resource consent conditions, working in partnership to deliver a suitable robust engineering solution to cater for this earthquake prone area, managing equipment delivery issues to site due to COVID-19 shipping delays, and unforeseen issues such as finding asbestos on-site.
The scale of the project saw the team move 2,500 cubic metres of soil, with over 400 cubic metres of concrete installed to cater for the new foundations and oil tank.
The potential geohazards in the area meant civil works including over 100 piles to over six metres deep were required, which our team managed.
As always, health, safety and the environment was of highest priority when completing this project on behalf of Transpower.
Our teams were highly conscious of the resource consent conditions, breaking down each condition to understand the impact on design, excavation and backfilling. Additionally, we undertook regular monitoring of river levels and ground water.
Every morning before commencing work our teams held a project meeting to recap the previous day’s work and ascertain what improvements could be made going forward.
Information was shared with a brief for the day ahead, including awareness and mitigation of hazards related to the tasks scheduled for that day. Site visitors and sub-contractors were carefully managed to ensure the highest possible levels of safety.
“Despite some of the unique challenges and unforeseen hurdles we encountered on this project, our teams came together to find innovative solutions, working in partnership with our customer to find ways to overcome the issues,” says Brett Sweeny, Regional Manager, Transmission.
“The project was delivered on time despite this, and we’re very proud to be playing our part in keeping our national grid secure and resilient."
