EnergyConnect
900
km
of an electricity interconnector between South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales
Overcoming Challenges with Expert Solutions
The vast and rugged terrain of the project’s remote location posed significant challenges, with the dramatic landscape impacting construction throughout. The lack of essential road infrastructure, combined with diverse geological conditions, added further complexity. Accessing the site from the eastern side was particularly challenging due to the rich biodiversity in that area, which required environmentally sensitive solutions. The remote location and difficult access significantly complicated the resourcing of manpower under tight time constraints, making the logistics of deploying teams effectively even more demanding.
SMEC consistently demonstrated exceptional competence in all aspects of geotechnical work for the last few years on Project EnergyConnect. Their extensive pool of highly knowledgeable resources and skilled engineers ensured the timely and efficient execution of all necessary tasks on our project.
Recognising the need for specialised expertise, SMEC has been integral to the success of EnergyConnect. Since first being engaged by Transgrid in 2020, SMEC has had a pivotal role, during the feasibility study stage for geotechnical investigations between Wagga Wagga and Buronga. In 2021, SMEC’s involvement expanded under Elecnor Australia (formerly known as Secure Energy Joint Venture) to include additional geotechnical investigations and construction phase services. In close collaboration with Transgrid and its construction delivery partner Elecnor Australia, SMEC has played a crucial role in delivering comprehensive geotechnical investigations and construction phase services. Under this project, SMEC was awarded a total of eight packages, with most of the geotechnical work delivered by late 2023.
The project began in September 2021 with a small, dedicated team. By mid-2022, the scope expanded rapidly, requiring a full-time project manager and engineers from across NSW. By 2023, over 10 engineers were on-site, supported by teams from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Perth. This growth, driven by SMEC’s outstanding early work, highlighted our team’s unwavering commitment to excellence. Despite the challenges of a vast and remote project, our engineers and subcontractors formed a resilient, dynamic team, passionately overcoming obstacles and delivering exceptional results.
Innovative geotechnical practices
In order to successfully overcome the geotechnical challenges faced, SMEC’s highly skilled Geotechnical team adopted innovative geotechnical practices such as digital logging and digital field data acquisition. This enabled SMEC to overcome the dramatic variations in terrain and to provide Transgrid with a weekly data package, containing the results from previous weeks.
Early January 2025 marks the official completion of tower Investigations with the last two boreholes drilled on Line 2. Over the last four years, the project achieved impressive milestones, including drilling over 800 boreholes, pushing 1,200 CPTs, conducting 400 ERTs, and logging thousands of pile excavations.
Providing Long-Term Benefits to Communities
Upon completion, Project EnergyConnect will provide access to cleaner and cheaper renewable energy to households and businesses. During construction, the project has provided a range of social and economic benefits to local communities along the alignment including jobs, education and training opportunities, supply contracts for local businesses, and community grants and sponsorships. EnergyConnect has focused on delivering real sustainability outcomes by reducing its carbon footprint, minimising energy and water use, protecting valuable biodiversity, decreasing waste, and building resilience against forecast climate impacts.
SMEC’s national approach to resourcing significant projects like EnergyConnect has been crucial in addressing the demands of this monumental task. By mobilising staff from Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, and multiple offices across NSW, SMEC has contributed to the project’s success. The dedication and expertise of SMEC’s geotechnics team have been key to overcoming the project’s challenges and achieving its goals.
The EnergyConnect project is a landmark achievement in Australia’s shift towards a sustainable energy future. As a market leader in geotechnics and tunnelling, SMEC is proud of our pivotal role in delivering innovative solutions that enhance power resilience. Our team has adeptly navigated through complex challenges, and we take pride in reflecting on both the hurdles and successes of this transformative project, all while contributing to the national transition to renewable energy.
We are committed to delivering real sustainability outcomes by reducing our carbon footprint, minimising energy and water use, protecting valuable biodiversity, decreasing waste, and building resilience against forecast climate impacts. Read more here
Ready
to
connect?
Talk to one of our specialists about our role on EnergyConnect Project.