Contract awarded for Kangaroo Island subsea cable project

Kangaroo Island

SA Power Networks has awarded Perth-based Fugro the contract to install a new undersea power cable.

The cable will connect Kangaroo Island to the distribution network on the southern Fleurieu Peninsula, near Cape Jervis.

The current 10,000kVA/33,000V undersea cable is reaching the end of its life and will be replaced with a 20,000 kVA/33,000V (33kv) cable.

Under the contract, Fugro will carry out design, supply, installation and commissioning of a single circuit submarine power cable and associated termination/connection works on a full turnkey basis.

SA Power Networks’ Paul Roberts said with double the capacity, the new cable would be able to meet peak demand growth on the island for the next 30 years.

“The project includes production of the undersea cable overseas, transport to Australia and laying of the cable across Backstairs Passage by Fugro; and associated infrastructure upgrades,” Mr Roberts said.

“The submarine cable itself will be a continuous 15 kilometre-long cable weighing 600 tonnes.

“It will have a core of three copper cables, insulation, lead sheathing, brass tape cover, steel wire armouring and plastic covering, so it will be very robust.”

Additional work will be required to augment infrastructure on the mainland and on Kangaroo Island to integrate the new cable into the South Australian electricity grid.

Kangaroo Island is the third largest island off the coast of Australia, situated 15 kilometres off the tip of Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia and has a population of about 4500 people.

Operations are scheduled to commence during the last quarter of 2017 and the new cable is expected to be operational by the middle of 2018.

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