PowerNet a Finalist in 2017 Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards

PowerNet has been named as a finalist in the annual national Deloitte’s Energy Excellence Awards for its entry ‘Pushing Boundaries: Building an inner-city substation.’
The Southland-based electricity management company’s entry was selected as a finalist alongside two other entries in the energy project of the year award category.

The entry focuses on the challenges for PowerNet to design, manage and build a new substation in an urban environment and to complete the associated cabling work. The project overcame significant technical, design and community relations challenges to achieve its goal.

PowerNet’s chief executive, Jason Franklin said to build a fully enclosed dual-transformer substation in Spey Street (Invercargill) was the biggest for the city’s network in almost 50 years.

“PowerNet faced many technical challenges working with a compact, urban site and in an enclosed space to mitigate heat, keep noise levels down, and in implementing a building design that blended with the residential streetscape. To add to the challenge the substation required more than 4 kilometres of 33kV cabling laid through Invercargill’s busiest streets,” says Mr Franklin.

PowerNet embarked on the project on the Electricity Invercargill Ltd network to replace an aging outdoor substation in Doon Street which was located immediately behind the earthquake-prone, Invercargill Water Tower and close to a large concrete reservoir.
“At the heart of this complex and challenging project was a commitment to secure and future proof electricity supply for Invercargill’s CBD businesses and residents,” he said.

Community engagement was an importance aspect of the project. The main concerns from nearby residents and businesses related to site aesthetics, buildings appearance and noise and heat emissions.
“As a company we proactively worked with the community to ensure their concerns were resolved and resource consent requirements were met,” Mr Franklin says.
The Deloitte Energy Excellence Awards recognise excellence and achievement across the electricity, gas, petroleum and transport energy industries throughout New Zealand.
Winners will be announced at the industry’s black-tie gala event held in Auckland on Wednesday 9 August.