Powerlink has published a Project Specification Consultation Report (PSCR) to maintain reliability of supply to the Atherton Tablelands and Cairns areas.
Chalumbin Substation is located almost 100 kilometres (km) south of Cairns in Far North Queensland (FNQ) and has both 275 kilovolt (kV) and 132kV operating voltages. The site was established in 1988 to help supply load into the Cairns and Atherton Tablelands areas and it also provides the connection point for Kareeya Hydro Power Station. Planning studies confirm there is a long-term requirement to continue to supply the existing electricity services provided by this substation.
The condition of the substation’s secondary systems and remaining original primary plant has significantly deteriorated, with a high number of associated defects and obsolescence issues, increasing the risk to supply to connected customers.
Powerlink must therefore take action to avoid the increasing likelihood of loss of power arising from failure of the aging primary substation equipment and a range of deterioration issues.
The PSCR outlines Powerlink’s proposal to address the risks at Chalumbin Substation with primary plant and secondary system replacements along with targeted works to the Chalumbin to Turkinje 132kV transmission line by 2030. The indicative capital cost of the RIT-T project for the preferred option is $74.1 million in 2026 prices.
Submissions on the PSCR are due by 24th July 2026 and should be emailed to [email protected]. More details on how to make a submission are in the PSCR document.
In the context of engagement activities with customers and the general community, Powerlink has assessed this RIT-T project as ‘minor’ on the RIT-T stakeholder engagement matrix.
A copy of the PSCR is below.