Powerlink has published a Project Specification Consultation Report (PSCR) to maintain reliability of supply to Townsville South.
The Townsville South Substation is located approximately 11 kilometres south-east of the Townsville central business district and is a major injection point into the Ergon Energy distribution network for southern and eastern Townsville.
The primary switchgear at Townsville South Substation – the equipment through which the electrical power passes – has been identified as being at risk of premature failure or is at the end of its technical service life with identified defects and obsolescence issues. Both factors increase the risk to supply in the Townsville area.
The PSCR outlines Powerlink’s proposal to address the risks associated with the primary plant at Townsville South by undertaking a single stage replacement utilising dead tank circuit breakers by December 2027. The indicative capital cost of the RIT-T project for the preferred option is $20.23 million in 2025 prices.
Submissions on the PSCR are due by 10 April 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 available below.