New international agreement for live substation work
RTE international has signed a collaboration agreement with Australian company Powerlink Queensland to provide consultancy services for live substation works across the Asia Pacific region.
Powerlink was the first Australian transmission utility to adopt live substation works in 2001 and RTEi are long-standing world leaders who continue to provide methodology and licensing to Powerlink for this innovative practice.
Under this new agreement, Powerlink and RTE international can now collaborate to provide engineering consultancy services to work on live substations on transmission networks to more than 20 countries across the Asia Pacific region.
Powerlink’s Chief Operating Officer Gary Edwards said there were significant advantages to this highly specialised work practice.
“The innovation of live substation work methodologies allows us to ensure the safe, cost-effective, and reliable performance of the transmission network. It also delivers efficiencies by removing the need for planned outages,” he said.
“Our team of highly skilled experts have been conducting this work since 2001, which allows the transmission network to remain ‘live’ while critical works are being completed and reducing potential impacts on customers.
“We pride ourselves on being the only Australian transmission company able to do this type of highly specialised work, with strict assessments, equipment and protections in place to safely complete the most complex of jobs.
“I am proud RTEi have put their ongoing trust in our expertise toward sharing our combined knowledge with other utilities across the Asia Pacific region.”
RTE international’s Chief Executive Officer Veronika Milewski said both agencies had more than 80 years of combined experience in providing these works. RTEi is implementing live transmission works throughout the world based on cutting-edge techniques proven successful for more than 60 years.
“This agreement is symbolic of our close and long-standing working relationship,” she said.
“RTE international and Powerlink have been leading providers of high voltage transmission network services for many years and this agreement gives access to the industry’s best technical experts.”
“We look forward to the evolution of our relationship and the expansion of our business and expertise to others within the Asia-Pacific region.”
The following engineering consultancy services for live substation works on transmission networks can be delivered by Powerlink and/or RTE international teams:
- Feasibility / opportunity studies
- Live substation work training and refreshers
- Drafting and updating of Documentary Corpus (live substation work conditions, system operating Mode, technical sheets)
- Audits and assessments
- Supply and adaption of specific live substation work equipment and machines to each network
- Studies for construction or rehabilitation of transmission networks facilities (substations)
- Supporting in the performance of engineering projects
- Audit on steering, performance and management of operation and maintenance
- Assistance for third parties to set up asset management policies for live substation work
The collaboration agreement establishes another positive element to an already long-standing relationship between the two companies.
RTE international is a consulting and engineering company covering all aspects of electricity transmission. It serves its customers all over the world, helping them to develop reliable, competitive power systems that meet the challenges of the energy transition.
As a subsidiary of RTE, Europe’s largest electricity transmission system operator, RTE international offers players in the electricity sector tailor-made solutions for the development, operation and maintenance of networks.
Since its creation in 2006, its experts, drawing on the know-how and skills developed over 70 years within RTE, have carried out over 300 projects in some 50 countries on every continent. RTE international employs nearly 80 staff and almost a hundred experts every year.
Powerlink is a leading Australian provider of high voltage electricity transmission network services, combining innovation with insight to deliver safe, cost effective and reliable solutions.
They are a Government Owned Corporation that owns, develops, operates and maintains the high voltage electricity transmission network in Queensland. Their network extends 1,700 kilometres from Cairns to the New South Wales border, and comprises 15,345 circuit km of transmission lines and 147 substations.
Their purpose is to connect Queenslanders to a world-class energy future, providing electricity to more than five million Queenslanders and 253,000 businesses.
Powerlink is playing a central role in the energy transformation.