Network Development Plan
The network development plan is
fundamental in meeting the forecast
demand over the planning period.
It is expected that our development
projects will continue to drive our
lifecycle plans as existing assets are
upgraded to meet demand. Network
development in response to growth
helps us to replace outdated
technology by replacing assets that
are not intelligent enough or assets
that are too highly loaded.
We have identified a number of zone
substation and network constraints
likely to occur throughout the
planning period. The most pressing
of these are the lack of capacity
for growth in the Woodend and
Pegasus town areas, at MainPower’s
Southbrook substation, and
at MainPower’s Mouse Point
substation (Culverden).
The Southbrook and Woodend area
constraints have been managed for
some years through incremental
distribution upgrades to enable
load transfers to surrounding areas.
The potential for such upgrades is
diminishing and if load continues to
grow a major zone substation build
will soon be required. Planning for
the new substation including land
acquisition, 66kV (Kilovolt) feeder
source and routes, is continuing.
The potential piping of the Amuri
irrigation scheme has created further
uncertainty about the need for, and
timing, of a capacity upgrade at
Culverden. Planning for the upgrade
is continuing in order to minimise
the lead time should an upgrade
be required. Partial purcha ͔