Goyder Wind Farm grid connection (275kV)

The customer

ElectraNet is South Australia’s leading electricity transmission provider, focused on delivering safe, reliable, and sustainable energy solutions. In partnership with Neoen, ElectraNet sought to expand the Robertstown substation to enable the connection of the Goyder South Wind Farm, the first stage of the Goyder Renewables Zone near Burra.

Goyder South Wind Farm, developed by Neoen, is a 412MW wind energy project featuring 75 GE Cypress wind turbines. It is South Australia’s largest wind farm and will generate renewable energy for the Australian Capital Territory and BHP’s Olympic Dam mine, with a new transmission line connecting to the Robertstown substation.

The opportunity

Enerven was engaged to design, procure, and construct the expansion of the Robertstown substation, a critical component for the integration of the Goyder South Wind Farm into ElectraNet’s transmission network.

Key project elements included:

• expanding the substation platform to accommodate new infrastructure
• constructing two partially equipped diameters and bus sections
• upgrading the internal stormwater drainage system with a reinforced concrete culvert to maintain natural water flow
• integrating a new control building and associated systems to support substation operations
• erecting two overhead transmission monopoles to enable the undercrossing of Canowie and Mokota lines by the Goyder overhead lines.

The solution

Key services delivered by Enerven:

• construction of a 200m reinforced concrete culvert system beneath the substation platform to maintain natural stormwater flow, minimizing environmental disruption
• expansion of an existing evaporation pond to capture all substation runoff, preventing potential contamination
• creation of environmental bunds using repurposed excavated soil to redirect stormwater into natural swales, complemented by replanting cleared vegetation to prevent erosion
• installation of two transmission monopoles, utilizing specialized equipment to elevate the Canowie and Mokota lines, ensuring safe undercrossing of Goyder South Wind Farm’s 275kV overhead lines
• construction of two partially equipped diameters and bus sections, along with integration of a new control building, to support the wind farm’s connection to the network.