Dr Anthony Lynham
Work is set to begin on a new $5.2 million Ergon Energy depot, likely to help provide more power for EV charging.
Queensland’s publicly-owned electricity companies – Powerlink, Ergon Energy, Energex, CS Energy, Stanwell Corp and CleanCo, will invest more than $2.2 billion on capital works in 2019-20, supporting up to 4900 jobs.
Newlands Commercial Constructions will start work on Ergon’s new Whitsunday Coast depot at Cannonvale in April.
“The new development on Galbraith Park Drive will generate work for the local construction industry and put Ergon Energy field crews closer to the central business district, main tourism precinct and residential areas,” energy minister Dr Anthony Lynham says.
“Newlands has committed to hiring local contractors for the project, which should take around eight months to complete.”
The Whitsunday Coast depot will be a base for 25 staff, including apprentices.
The Cannonvale building will replace the ageing Proserpine depot badly damaged by Tropical Cyclone Debbie three years ago.
It will be a new permanent base for Ergon Energy staff, who have been working out of temporary accommodation since 2017.
Lynham says Cannonvale is a strategic location for field crews who serve customers across the region, from Proserpine, halfway to Bowen and out to the Whitsunday Islands.
“Field crews will be based closer to densely-populated areas for the most efficient response to any unplanned outages,” he says.
“The sooner crews can find network faults, the quicker they can fix them and get the power back on.
“They’ll continue to store poles and wires at the Proserpine site, which can also be used as an alternative staging area when Ergon Energy is responding to one of the North’s severe weather events,” Lynham adds.
The new Whitsunday Coast depot will include office space, a workshop and improved access for heavy vehicles.
“Ergon’s new home base will also have vehicle wash down facilities, which are obviously important when you’re working in farming areas with biosecurity risks.”
