By PETER DOUGLAS
A $40 MILLION project to upgrade powerlines in the Dandenong Ranges is on track to be completed in April next year.
After relocating more than 30 kilometres of existing powerlines underground, AusNet Services is confident the result will be increased safety and reduced power outages.
The two-year project involves relocating about 50km of overhead high-voltage aerial bundled cable underground, replacing a further 7km of cable with a modern design.
Project manager, Aaron Emmerich, said he was pleased with the progress and thanked the local community.
“AusNet Services would like to thank the local residents and broader ‘Hills’ community for their patience and understanding,” he said.
“This progress has been made possible through collaboration with local stakeholders, including the council, and a new innovative ‘hybrid’ underground cable system we specifically developed for the unique challenges of this project.”
Under the hybrid system, cables are buried along roadways, only rising out of the ground to connect to existing powerpoles to deliver electricity into homes via existing overhead low-voltage powerlines.
This removes the common use of large cabinets connected to the underground cables.
