Power upgrade boosts North-West water reliability

Sunwater has overcome location and terrain challenges to complete a complex project that will improve water reliability for its customers in Queensland’s north-west.

Sunwater successfully installed a standby generator for a pump station at Julius Dam that will ensure a reliable back up power supply for the site and nearby pipelines.

The 1 megawatt, 415-volt standby unit, which includes a 30,000-litre fuel tank, is fully automated and can be remotely monitored and operated.

It is designed to start automatically whenever there is an interruption to the main power supply.

As a result, Sunwater customers in the north-west region will experience fewer interruptions to their water supply during power outages, extreme weather events and maintenance activities.

Sunwater General Manager Operations North William Weaver said the generator improves operational resilience and reduces the risk of service disruptions.

“Power supply reliability is an ongoing challenge in this remote part of Australia,” he said.

“The work was undertaken to improve service continuity during power outages and planned shutdowns, ensuring this critical infrastructure can continue operating when the primary power source is unavailable.”

Sunwater was supported on the project by contractors Civil Plus and ICS.

Mr Weaver said the work presented several challenges related to the remote location and limited space available for installation.

“The site is difficult to access,” he said. “It is rough terrain and the road in is very steep and does not allow for full concrete trucks.

“Civil Plus came up with an innovative solution of using precast slabs for the generator foundations, which allowed for easier transport and reduced the amount of time needed on site.”

Mr Weaver thanked the Sunwater team and contractors for their planning and coordination efforts over several years.

“This project represents the culmination of detailed planning and collaboration across multiple teams and contractors,” he said.

“The result is a modern, automated backup power solution that will help improve reliability for customers and strengthen the resilience of critical water infrastructure in the region.”