By Tyler Wright
New technology aimed at preventing powerline-related bushfires is in the progress of being built in the hills as AusNet rolls out their Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCL) Program across bushfire risk areas.
An AusNet spokesperson said the organisation is looking to install the technology in the Selby area and the service will be operational by November 2022.
“It is estimated that REFCLs could cut power line fires in Victoria by about 50 per cent, according to the Victorian Government’s Powerline Bushfire Safety Taskforce. REFCLs act like a safety switch and rapidly switches off the power to fallen lines, preventing bushfires,” the spokesperson said.
The technology is said to limit the amount of energy released when an earth fault occurs, including a fallen tree or wildlife touching the pole and powerline at the same time.
The Powerline Bushfire Safety Program was introduced after the Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission into the Black Saturday Fires. A recent independent Benefits Realisation Review reported a 44 per cent reduction in powerline bushfire risk to date, with the likelihood of loss of life or damage to property as a result of powerline ignited bushfires projected to be almost be halved by June 2023 as a result of the program.
The REFCL installed in Selby is designed to detect the incident and reduce the energy flow within a tenth of a second to avoid a fire or local wildlife being electrocuted.
“The Selby site will house two prefabricated buildings, each one about the size of a 20-foot shipping container. One building will enclose the isolation transformer, the other electronic equipment that enables the REFCL to operate. We will fence the site and screen it from view by landscaping. We will have more information about landscaping in due course,” the Ausnet spokesperson said.
“We completed preliminary work at the site in February, and are now undertaking construction, which is expected to continue through to August this year.”
From August, testing of the REFCL in Selby is expected to last three months with the possibility of power outages for locals during this time. AusNet said these potential disruptions are a better solution compared to the impacts on power accessibility without a limiter.
It is expected that all 22 locations which will become home to this technology across Northern and Eastern Victoria will be completed by mid-2023.
The construction is taking place at 109 Belgrave-Gembrook Road, Selby.
