Construction of Kidston Pumped Storage Project well underway in North Queensland

Construction of Genex Power’s Kidston Pumped Storage project in North Queensland is well underway.

The project achieved financial close in June 2021, and Entura was appointed as Owner’s Engineer. As part of the project’s construction phase, our Principal Consultant Richard Herweynen and Specialist Hydropower Engineer Nick West recently visited the site to oversee progress.

Above: aerial views of the Eldridge Pit at Kidston, construction offices and the portal for the main access tunnel

“The project utilises two old mine pits, Wises and Eldridge, as the upper and lower reservoirs,” Richard explained. “Major earthworks are taking place around the perimeter of the old Wises pit, using the waste rock dump piles on site from past mining operations.”

“The waterproof membrane for the Wises dam is set to be installed next month, and excavation is occurring in the inlet area, where the intake structure will be constructed for the power station.”

Above: section of the Wises dam, the upper storage, trialling the construction methodology components

It’s the first pumped hydro storage project to be constructed in Australia in almost 40 years, and Entura is thrilled to have been involved from the project’s inception.

“It was great to finally get to site and to see construction occurring on a number of fronts,” said Richard. “It is always great seeing projects you are involved with become a reality, and it is particularly so for the Kidston Pumped Storage Project, given the journey we have been on with Genex.”

Above: Nick West on site at Kidston

Our initial meetings with Genex Power were in 2015, when we were engaged to undertake the bankable feasibility study for the Kidston Pumped Storage project. Entura completed the feasibility study over the next 18 months, which included travelling to China with Genex Power to inspect a number of other operational hydro pumped storage projects.

Our involvement has continued from there, throughout the early contractor involvement phase, funding phase, independent due diligence assessments and financial close, and now into the construction phase as Owner’s Engineer. Our strong relationship with Genex Power has also seen us assist as a trusted advisor on other projects, including grid connection studies and support for its solar projects, and wind monitoring for a potential opportunity in the Kidston area.

“We’re proud to be part of this new pumped storage development, and we’re aware of how important storage is in Australia’s transition to renewable energy,” said Richard.

Entura is actively supporting the energy transition through our work on many renewable energy and storage projects, including other pumped hydro and dispatchable renewables initiatives such as Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation.

Entura experts share insights on increasing renewable energy penetration in mining sector

Entura’s Hybrid Energy Solutions Specialist Ray Massie has shared his insights into the use of renewable energy in the mining sector in the latest issue of the Energy and Mines Magazine (issue 42, June 2022).

The article, titled ‘The Challenges of 100% RE penetration’, explores the shift towards larger and more complex hybrid power systems in mining, and the key technical considerations for moving a mining power system towards a higher percentage of renewable energy. In the piece, Ray predicts that we’ll see 60-80% renewable energy penetration used in mines in the next five years, and outlines the challenges to achieving 100% RE penetration.

Read the article here.  

Entura shares insights from 2022 Planning Institute of Australia Congress

Sponsoring the Planning Institute of Australia Congress in Hobart, Tasmania in May gave Entura the opportunity to participate in conversations around climate change and the need for resilient, sustainable outcomes.

It was the first time the national congress had been conducted in person since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

More than 500 planners from across Australia and beyond – from New Zealand to Barcelona – attended three days of presentations, workshops, study tours and networking events.

Three of Entura’s own attended the congress as part of our sponsorship; environmental planner Bunfu Yu, senior planning and environment consultant Scott Rowell, and Water Management Team Leader Scott Lobdale, who is also a registered planner.  

L-R: Bunfu Yu, Scott Lobdale and Scott Rowell at the 2022 PIA Congress

“It was great to be able to have wide-ranging discussions and share insights with planners across the many aspects of the industry,” said Scott Lobdale.

“A particular area of interest for us, given the nature of our work on power and water assets, was the focus on the criticality of planning for climate change, for sustainable infrastructure and, crucially, for resilient communities.”

Bunfu served on the Congress study tour committee, and coordinated a visit to Meadowbank Dam, a Hydro Tasmania’s asset on which Entura has delivered dam safety services for many years.

“The tour to Meadowbank was valuable for helping planners consider infrastructure opportunities and constraints in their approach to development, and for gaining a wider perspective on the fundamental importance of water resources and renewable energy as enablers for industries and communities to grow and thrive,” said Bunfu.

The 2022 event explored many aspects of planning, including public health, housing, equity, and climate.

“Key themes that emerged from the congress included the need for communities to always be at the heart of what we do as planners,” said Bunfu. “It’s important that we recognise the difference between planning for communities and planning with communities as we approach new projects.”

“It was also encouraging to see a strong appreciation of the need to prioritise First Nations perspectives and issues in everything we do, and to consider how we can demonstrate respect and incorporate a deeper level of First Nations history and culture into projects.”

“Planners need to go beyond ensuring that projects comply with laws, regulations and codes; we should always be looking to align our projects with best practice and promote genuine, enduring social licence to operate.”

Entura also sponsored two students from the University of Tasmania to attend the congress.

“We recognise the importance of supporting students at the beginning of their professional planning careers, and this was a powerful opportunity to help them gain a multidimensional view of planning and engage with the pressing challenges facing the broader development sector,” said Scott Lobdale.

“For young planners entering the profession, climate change will permeate every aspect of their work, not only as an ‘issue’, but also as an ‘opportunity’ to make meaningful, positive impacts for a more sustainable future.”

Entura welcomes commissioning of Jabiru Power Station

Specialist power and water consulting firm Entura welcomes the recent commissioning of the Jabiru Power Station, located in the Northern Territory’s Kakadu National Park.

The project, funded by the Northern Territory Government and developed, owned and operated by EDL, will supply the town of Jabiru with reliable energy drawn from at least 50% renewable sources. It comprises a 3.9 MW solar farm, 4.5 MW diesel generation and a 3 MW/5 MWh battery, with the ability to power 2,000 homes annually and cut 6,000 tonnes CO₂e emissions per year.

The Jabiru Power Station includes ‘Zero Thermal’ functionality, meaning the diesel generators can be turned off entirely during times of adequate sunlight.

Entura’s development on the project began in June 2021. Construction then started in August and was completed less than six months later.

Entura proudly supported our client EDL in coordinating commissioning of the power station, drawing on our experience in hybrid off-grid power systems.

Jabiru Power Station

“Testing was rigorously conducted to prove all of the power station functions. This is an investment towards a future of highly reliable operation,” said Greg Koppens, Entura’s Specialist Engineer for Hybrid Renewable Systems.

“A feature of the Jabiru power station is the ability to ‘black start’ without any fossil fuel generation available,” he added. “Starting a town is very challenging for any power system because there is a large inrush of energy immediately after reconnection of power.”

“In Jabiru, it’s now possible to restart following a blackout using only the battery system and solar power. This could prove useful in the future if an emergency situation prevents transport of diesel fuel, that the town could be energised and powered off solar power.”

EDL Jabiru Hybrid Renewable Project Manager Aidan Davies said Entura’s expertise was instrumental in enabling the hybrid power station to deliver reliable, renewable energy for Jabiru.

“EDL is pleased to have worked with Entura on this landmark project, which contributes to the Territory’s target of 50% renewable energy by 2030.”

Entura is one of the leading consultants in renewables development and integration in Australia, and the Indo-Pacific region, with significant experience in grid connection, hybrid renewable energy systems, utility-scale battery energy storage, solar and wind farms, hydropower and pumped hydro.

Entura’s services have been instrumental to the success of other hybrid renewable projects, including the Agnew Hybrid Renewable Project and the Flinders Island Hybrid Energy Hub in Australia, and the delivery of hybrid renewable energy systems in Yap, the Cook Islands and Marshall Islands.

Entura joins workforce credentialing partnership with Engineers Australia

Entura is pleased to announce that the business has entered a three-year partnership with Engineers Australia.

This partnership will offer a business-to-business pathway for Entura’s engineers to achieve chartered status via the Engineering Workforce Credentialing (EWC) Program.

“Chartered status is a demonstration of an engineer’s professionalism and capability. I applaud Entura’s commitment to assessing their engineering workforce against globally recognised engineering standards,”said Dr Bronwyn Evans AM, CEO, Engineers Australia.

Entura strongly encourages ongoing career development for its workforce.

“At Entura, we highly value the professionalism and exceptional competencies of our engineers,” said Tammy Chu, Managing Director, Entura.

“Attaining chartered status offers important recognition of the quality of our people, both nationally and internationally, and gives confidence to our clients.”

“In a further testament to the depth of Entura’s engineering talent, a number of Entura engineers have received recognition through the Engineers Australia Engineering Excellence Awards,” said Tammy Chu.

Recent Entura recipients of Engineering Australia awards include Richard Herweynen (Professional Engineer of the Year, Tas, 2012), Donald Vaughan (Professional Engineer of the Year, Tas, 2018), Seth Langford (Professional Engineer of the Year, Tas, 2020) and Paul Southcott, Professional Engineer of the Year, Tas, 2021).

Furthermore, Entura’s Beth Scott will serve on Engineers Australia’s National Committee for Women in Engineering in 2022.

Entura rediscovers snail species thought likely to be extinct at Tasmania’s Great Lake

Entura’s environment team have rediscovered a species of freshwater snail thought likely to be extinct during a survey at Tasmania’s yingina/Great Lake.

The Beddomeia tumida, a tiny snail measuring around 4mm, was found as part of ongoing conservation monitoring of the lake, funded by Hydro Tasmania. Located in the Central Plateau, it is the first time the live snail has been seen or recorded in the areas since the 1900s.

The team were initially searching for another previously thought to be extinct snail species, the Great Lake giant freshwater limpet (Ancylastrum cumingianus), which they had rediscovered during an aquatic invertebrate survey when the lake was at a historic low.

Returning to the now refilled lake in late 2021, the team attached old roof tiles sourced from a tip to ropes and buoys. The tiles were dropped at various depths (2-10 metres) to the lake floor in the hope they would become inhabited by bottom-dwelling species, such as the limpet.

Ancylastrum cumingianus (Great Lake giant freshwater limpet)

In January this year, when the team retrieved the tiles, they found not only the presence of limpets in low abundance, but also three specimens of Beddomeia tumida (Great Lake freshwater snail). Subsequent surveys have recorded further specimens of both snails on other tiles, so far in low numbers, all located in the north basin near Reynolds Island. 

The species were identified with the help of Dr Karen Richards, senior zoologist and aquatic mollusc expert at the Threatened Species Section, Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania. Beddomeia tumida is listed as endangered on the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995 (TSPA), and critically endangered but possibly extinct on the IUCN red list.

“It’s a significant find because we now know it still exists,” said Entura’s Water Quality Consultant Kevin Macfarlane, who led the survey. “It could have been re-listed within days or months as extinct if we hadn’t found it. Once we get an idea of the population size it could potentially be listed as not critically endangered, and hopefully we find that it’s abundant.”

“As Beddomeia species are not present at locations of reduced water quality, this tells us that the water quality is very good, and the habitat is very good,” he added. “It’s not common for people in the sciences to discover new or extinct species, so it’s a great position to be in.”

Beddomeia tumida (Great Lake freshwater snail)

The Hydro Tasmania-funded surveys have been ongoing since the 2000s, during which six undescribed species of freshwater snail have been identified. These were found during the surveys conducted in 2015 and 2016, when the lake was at its second lowest recorded level.

“2015-16 was followed by a boom in populations, such as the native lake fish, once the water levels rose again,” said Kevin. “We’re trying to understand the health of the lake, and it appears to have resilient inhabitants.”

“We’ve discovered not only undescribed snails in Great Lake, but numerous phreatoicids, which are small crustaceans, and an aquatic plant called a charophyte. We’ve also uncovered previously unknown sponges in some of the other Central Highlands Lakes and found animals in other lakes where they weren’t known to exist.”

Great Lake was the first source of water for Hydro Tasmania. It initially fed Waddamana Power Station, which was run by the Tasmanian Government-owned Hydroelectric Department from 1916 until 1964, and replaced by Poatina Power Station in 1966.

Speaking of the importance of ongoing surveys, Kevin said: “When the lake was flooded in 1901, there was no baseline survey undertaken of what might be affected as we do these days, so the efforts today are focused on clawing back as much of that missing knowledge as we can. The more knowledge we gain on the flora and fauna of the lake, the greater chance we have to protect them.”

The find is just the latest for Entura’s environment team, who recently spotted a native herb which resembles clover called Glycine latrobeana at Lagoon of Islands, also on the Central Plateau. The clover had not been seen in the area for over 20 years, and is listed as vulnerable on the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 and the Tasmanian Threatened Species Protection Act 1995.

“It’s really hard to find because it’s so small and very palatable,” said Environment Team Leader, Raymond Brereton. “It gets browsed a lot by wallabies and wombats which means you hardly get to see it in flower, so this was an exciting find.”

“Our team often find that if you really put in the effort to look for these species of threatened flora and fauna, you’ll find them, and fortunately, that’s often how it turns out for us.” 

Entura updates business continuity plan and implements vaccination policy

Entura has a rigorous, structured business continuity plan that underpins our efforts to protect health and safety, maintain good governance, and minimise impacts on our clients’ projects during the uncertainties and changing circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic.

We continually review and revise our business continuity plan as the pandemic evolves. You can access our updated Business Continuity Plan summary here.

Over the last two years of the pandemic, we have worked with our clients to explore the best ways forward for their projects. We continue to do so, working together to identify opportunities, where appropriate, to re-scope, redirect effort, or revise timelines.

Due to travel restrictions and the need for physical distancing, we are postponing non-essential field work at this time.

To progress other required field activities, we are closely engaging with our partners on shared field work protocols and adopting methods to enable physical distancing, such as separate road travel. We are sharing COVID-19 mitigation strategies and amending safe work method statements (SWMS) for field work.

Consistent with our safety-first approach, in 2022 we have also introduced a vaccination policy for all Entura staff and contractors.

Our people across Australia and in India continue to adapt as this pandemic evolves, to stay safe, connected, productive and responsive to our clients.

Please contact us if you need to find out more about our response. 

Entura’s Beth Scott to represent Tasmanian women in engineering on national committee

Entura’s Beth Scott, a civil engineer based in Hobart, has been co-opted to Engineers Australia’s National Committee for Women in Engineering (NCWiE) for 2022.

Through her inclusion on the national committee, Beth will represent and advocate for Tasmania’s aspiring, emerging and established female engineers.

“I am very excited to be part of the committee,” said Beth, “and am eager to make an impact at a local level, increasing the engagement and participation of Tasmanian women in engineering and helping build a more diverse and inclusive profession.”

“I was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in the EA Tasmania Division – Gender Equality in Engineering Project (October 2018 – October 2019), where I completed a program designed to support women in engineering as we build our careers,” she said.

“This was an incredible opportunity for me, and I am excited for the opportunity to give back to the Engineers Australia community, both by sharing the knowledge and experience gained during the course of the program, and providing my support to the women in engineering community.”

“Since graduating as a civil engineer, I’ve been passionate about encouraging and supporting other women to build strong, confident careers in this fascinating and wide-ranging profession,” said Beth.

“Women are still vastly underrepresented in the engineering workforce, and I am looking forward to being part of the changing gender dynamic of our industry,” she said.

“The future for women in engineering is very bright, both here in Tasmania with significant new infrastructure planned for the state, and across the country and the world as we accelerate the clean energy transition and progress towards greater sustainability,” said Beth.

Another strong advocate for women in engineering is Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu, who was the first female president of the Tasmanian division of Engineers Australia.

“Attracting, retaining and supporting women in engineering must be a priority,” said Tammy.

“The challenges of the future will require a great number of new engineers, with maximum creativity and innovation, different ways of thinking and diverse approaches to tasks,” she said.

“If half the population are not seeing engineering as a viable or interesting career option for them, or are not adequately supported in the profession, the pool of talent and human capital is massively restricted. That’s a lost opportunity that the engineering sector simply can’t afford.”

Engineers Australia’s National Committee for Women in Engineering aims to attract, retain, support and celebrate women in engineering through the development and implementation of strategies for increasing representation and retention of female members and through continued professional development and outreach activities.

Entura is part of Hydro Tasmania, which has a strong commitment to inclusion and diversity across the business. The company supports Engineers Australia’s ‘Driving Diversity’ scholarship program, sponsoring two scholarships of $5000 each for young women entering their first year of an engineering qualification. Hydro Tasmania employees have also participated both as mentors and mentees in Engineers Australia’s ‘Gender Equality in Engineering’ project. 

Hydro Tasmania has also been involved in other programs encouraging more women and girls to pursue careers in STEM, teaming up with not-for-profit organisation Power of Engineering for a series of events for Year 9 students. 

Entura welcomes announcement of Hazelwood Battery

Specialist power and water consulting firm Entura welcomes the announcement this week of the 150 MW Hazelwood Battery, now under construction on the site of the decommissioned Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria’s Latrobe Valley.

The project, privately funded by ENGIE and Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG), will provide critical services to support the Victorian grid by increasing renewable energy capacity and grid stability in the state.

Entura was engaged in 2020 to facilitate the project’s grid connection agreement, which has now been approved by the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO).

Entura provided power systems modelling expertise to develop the connection application and performance standards in line with the National Electricity Rules. Further work will include validation and registration of the modelling as the project progresses.

The Hazelwood Battery is expected to be operational in November 2022.

“Storage projects like the Hazelwood Battery are critical in ensuring that electricity networks are resilient, reliable and flexible as renewables capacity and use expand, and Entura’s capability in renewables and network integration was important in enabling this successful connection agreement,” said Lachlan Creswell, Head of GIG, Australia and New Zealand.

Commenting on the announcement of the commencement of construction of the Hazelwood project, Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu, said, “This is a major milestone, and we are delighted to have had the opportunity to apply our grid connection expertise to overcome what has become a particularly challenging aspect of renewable energy projects in Australia in recent years.”

“As passionate advocates for dispatchable renewables, we are proud to have played an important role in supporting this battery storage project which will mitigate challenges in our transitioning energy system, and help to achieve a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy future.”

The Hazelwood Battery will be built, operated and maintained by Fluence under a 20-year contract. The project will be the first in Australia to use Fluence’s Gridstack battery system, incorporating 342 modular factory-built Fluence Cubes, each of which contains battery modules as well as inverters, transformers, switchgear and other equipment. 

Entura is one of the leading consultants in renewables development and integration in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region, with significant experience in grid connection, hybrid renewable energy systems, utility-scale battery energy storage, solar and wind farms, hydropower and pumped hydro. The firm works with clients to help tackle the challenges of creating projects, from grid-connected and utility-scale to small, isolated systems. Entura’s services have been instrumental to the success of other battery projects such as the Lake Bonney Battery Energy Storage System in South Australia, many wind farms and solar farms across Australia, and a range of hybrid renewable projects throughout the Indo-Pacific region including the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project and the Agnew Hybrid Renewable Project.

Entura continues our commitment to integrity and sustainability

Entura has always been committed to providing quality power and water solutions to our clients and communities in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. 

We have now summarised our ongoing, long-standing commitment to integrity in our Integrity Commitment Statement.

Our Integrity Framework is guided by our Code of Conduct, Sustainability Principles, Work Health and Safety Policy, Modern Slavery Statement, and Environmental Policy.

“As the global energy transition gains pace and urgency, it is essential that renewable energy developers, owners, operators and consultants maintain strong commitments to high environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards,” said Tammy Chu, Entura’s Managing Director.

“Our Integrity Framework supports us to make sustainable and ethical decisions when considering what projects we will work on and with whom we partner.”

Integrity management is built into Entura’s day-to-day operations and project management system. Our integrity management system also forms part of our quality management system, which is independently certified to standard ISO 9001.

“Drawing on our strong integrity and sustainability commitments, and our extensive experience in the power and water sector, we stand ready to support our clients to assess and mitigate risks in their power and water projects,” said Tammy.

“While commercial and technical success is important, every power and water project should aim to be safe, sustainable, resilient, and empowering to its community and stakeholders.” 

Entura announces personnel changes and new appointments for international services

Entura has recently filled a number of key positions across our offices in Australia and India.

These roles will strengthen and support Entura’s delivery of sustainable power and water projects across the Indo-Pacific region.

Rajeev Raina has been appointed as Director and Team Leader of Entura’s India operations and Delhi office.

Rajeev joined Entura in 2010. He was previously a senior consultant, and has a wealth of civil engineering knowledge and experience. He is particularly experienced in structural analysis and detailed design for hydropower projects.

“We are very pleased that Rajeev has stepped into this role,” said Entura’s Director of Hydropower and Headworks.

“We are confident that he will provide excellent leadership to our India team as we integrate Entura’s services across all our offices to respond to strong demand from our clients and the market.”

Ajit Garg, our India-based Business Development Manager since 2007, will continue to serve as a key contact for Entura’s hydropower clients across South Asia, from his new base in Australia.

“Ajit has made excellent contributions to developing Entura India’s capability and services over many years, including growing the business in the areas of hydropower and other forms of renewable energy,” said Director of Sales, Strategy and Commercial, Amanda Ashworth.

Shekhar Prince was recently appointed as International Business Development Manager. Shekhar is based in our Melbourne office.

“Shekhar has more than 20 years of experience in sales, leadership and business development roles in the power industry, working with many energy businesses and as an independent consultant,” said Amanda Ashworth.

“Shekhar will be instrumental in driving and delivering Entura’s international sales strategy, as we continue to deliver quality outcomes for our key clients and regions and jointly plan for the time when travel restriction ease.”

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Entura has maintained a strong focus on the health and safety of our staff. Members of our India team have worked from home to avoid unnecessary exposure, while still maintaining project progress and strong client relationships.

“Though COVID is still disrupting life as we know it, we want to be here for our clients more than ever to help them to meet their objectives and deliver their outcomes,” said Amanda Ashworth.

“It is critical that we maintain momentum towards a better, safer future through decarbonisation of the economy, including increasing renewable energy’s contribution, and using sustainable solutions for water quality and security.”

Entura’s spatial expertise recognised at 2021 Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards

Entura’s Spatial and Data Services Team has received top accolades at this year’s Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Awards.

The team won the Spatial Industries Business Association and Geospatial Information & Technology Association (SIBA/GITA) Award for Spatial Enablement, for their work on Hydro Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation initiative. The team has been involved in Battery of the Nation since its inception, using spatial tools and technologies to support the initiative through pre-feasibility, feasibility and project design stages.

The team’s use of 3D maps, line-of-sight analysis, viewshed analysis, fly-throughs, LiDAR and other innovative methods and technologies has offered significant benefits to the project including the technical design of proposed project infrastructure, environmental impact assessments and stakeholder and community engagement.

“We’re thrilled to be recognised for our spatial contribution to Battery of the Nation,” said Jody Bush, who leads the Spatial and Data Services Team.

“I’m very proud of our team members for their efforts and for the role we’ve played in helping the project through its various stages.”

“Our work will make a tangible difference to Tasmanian communities by informing sensitive project design as well as offering insights to community members about how infrastructure will sit in the landscape and any potential impacts from different design options,” said Jody.

Top R-L: Agung Wahyudi, Stephen Thomas, Grace Uziallo and Jody Bush with the award.

Battery of the Nation aims to harness Tasmania’s hydropower through new pumped hydro development, optimising existing assets and redeveloping the Tarraleah hydropower scheme. Alongside further interconnection, this will enable Tasmania to play a greater role in the National Electricity Market and support Australia’s accelerating renewable energy transition.

Battery of the Nation Project Director, Paul Molnar, commended the team on the quality and integrity of spatial input into project designs and for providing a valuable communication role in translating complex designs into easily understood visual formats for communities. 

“This award is a testament to the quality of our people and their expertise in the industry,” said Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu, “and we are always pleased to see our specialists recognised.”

“We are proud to be supporting Battery of the Nation, which together with Project Marinus, will generate significant local and statewide community benefits, through jobs and economic growth and help transition the National Electricity Market to greater sustainability,” she said.

The team will continue to support the Battery of the Nation project through its next stages.

Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu, re-elected to IHA Board

Eighteen hydropower leaders from across the sector have been elected to the new Board of the International Hydropower Association (IHA), including Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu.

Entura updates Business Continuity Plan to respond to COVID-19 Delta variant

At Entura, we remain committed to you and your projects during the COVID-19 pandemic, wherever we are.

Local outbreaks of the hyper-contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 have given us all pause to consider further continuous improvement in our joint Safety and Business Continuity Planning.

Underpinned by a safety-first approach, we continue to flex and explore opportunities to progress your projects in what remain uncertain times, for you and for us.

Our people across Australia and in India continue to adapt as this pandemic evolves. Our offices have cycled through re-opening, closures and opening again, according to local lockdown requirements, with hybrid working now normal for you and us. Field work continues, where possible, under strict local protocols, with inter-state travel restrictions in place and international travel on hold.

We have become adroit at re-scoping and rescheduling projects and redirecting effort, and will continue to work with you to agree the best way forward for your project, all things considered.

Let’s keep working together to find a safe way through this maze that is COVID-19, and its Delta variant.

Please contact us if you need to find out more about our response, or download our Business Continuity Plan summary here.

Entura expertise and contributions recognised

Entura’s leading specialist dams engineer Paul Southcott won Professional Engineer of the Year, at the Tasmanian awards ceremony held in Hobart on Thursday 5 August 2021.  Paul will now represent Tasmania at the national Australian Engineering Excellence Awards later in the year.

Andrew (Drew) Shaw, Entura’s Senior Technical Officer Civil, will also be attending the national awards as a finalist in the Engineering Technologist category. 

Civil engineer Edward Snowball was a finalist for Young Professional Engineer of the Year.

The Australian Engineering Excellence Awards (AEEA) identify, recognise and reward outstanding achievement in the practice of engineering and service to the profession, promoting industry excellence across engineering projects and professionals, and highlighting the significant contribution engineering makes to communities.

“Paul, Edward and Drew have all made substantial contributions to the development of renewable energy and water projects in Tasmania, mainland Australia and throughout the Indo-Pacific,” said Tammy Chu, Entura’s Managing Director. “We’re incredibly proud to have them all as part of our Entura team, and it is a pleasure to see them apply their varied skills to create safe and sustainable power and water solutions that make positive, lasting contributions to communities.”

Paul Southcott said, of winning the award, “I am very honoured to be recognised for my contribution to the engineering industry through over 30 years of project work, industry development, teaching and mentoring.”

“I’m proud to have played a role in creating and maintaining safe dam infrastructure that not only meets our clients’ immediate needs, but also builds a healthier, safer and more sustainable future in Australia and around the world.”

Drew Shaw said, “I am always excited and motivated by sharing knowledge and improving systems and practices. I relish the opportunity at Entura to apply leading digital engineering technologies to deliver value and achieve results for our clients.”

Entura has been well represented at the awards in previous years, with a number of individuals and projects reaching the finals or winning awards, including winning the Professional Engineer of the Year (Seth Langford 2020, Donald Vaughan 2018) and Young Professional Engineer of the Year (Lyndon Johnson, 2018).

Entura shares floodplain management insights at national conference

Entura’s Graduate Hydrologist Ashiq Rasheed presented at the 2021 Floodplain Management Australia National Conference, which was conducted as a virtual conference in June.

The conference brought together a range of stakeholders from across Australia to explore the theme of ‘Essential Knowledge for a Flood Resilient Future’. Discussions and presentations focused on the latest developments and achievements in flood and emergency management to assist in identifying, planning for and managing flood risks, as well as building disaster-resilient communities.

Ashiq was invited to present at the conference on behalf of Entura, producing two informative posters on flood forecasting studies that Entura has conducted on the extensive water assets of Hydro Tasmania. His first poster discussed the hydraulic and hydrologic modelling processes used for dam-break consequence assessments of the dams in the lower Derwent scheme. His second presentation covered the flood forecasting component of Hydro Tasmania’s large dams portfolio, as part of Hydro Tasmania’s broader Dam Safety Emergency Plan (DSEP).

View them both below. 

“The posters we presented explored the hydrology and hydraulic modelling of an important, extensive cascade of Hydro Tasmania dams,” said Ashiq.

“This is technically intense work on an extremely large scale, so we have experience and knowledge worth sharing.”

Other guest speakers explored flood-related environmental impacts, social and cultural aspects, flood policy and more.

“It was exciting to see the flood management community around Australia coming together to share ideas, learn from each other, and discuss ways to improve sustainability, community safety and resilience,” Ashiq said.

“Being involved in this conference was a valuable opportunity to make the wider community aware of the excellent work Entura does and why our specialists are thought leaders in floodplain management and champions for flood resilience.”

Learn more about flood management in these articles from our thought leaders, discussing how to keep safe around dams, forecasting for smarter flood solutions and key considerations for better flood forecasting. 

Entura leads discussion of renewables in mining sector

Two of Entura’s thought leaders recently attended this year’s virtual Energy and Mines Australia summit, which took place earlier this week.

Hybrid Energy Solutions Specialist Ray Massie and Secondary Electrical Team Leader Greg Koppens led a panel discussion on “Lessons Learned and Next Steps for Mining Hybrids”, providing critical insights on the topic and the industry’s renewable future. They were joined by fellow panellists James Koerting, Energy Manager of Gold Fields Australia, Image Resources MD and CEO Patrick Mutz and Suresh Sakar, the Australian Engineering Manager for Iluka Resources.

Greg Koppens and Ray Massie at the Energy and Mines virtual summit.

The session explored various questions pertaining to the future of hybrid renewables in the mining sector. Panellists discussed ways to increase renewable penetration, escalate hybrid projects and improve energy storage solutions, as well as identifying hybrid renewables opportunities in the mining sector.

Both Greg and Ray came away from the conference with new industry insights, and reflected on how much attitudes towards renewables in the sector have changed in the past year or so.

“I think we’re starting to see more thinking and questions around the demand side – so how the process and the plant itself is operated,” said Ray.

“Twelve months ago, six months ago, it was just how do we put renewables in? Now it’s starting to shift to the question of how we change our world to maximise the benefit of that new paradigm.”

With new approaches emerging to integrate hybrid renewables in mining, Greg explained the new challenge for mining process engineers.

“One thing that I’d like to be a takeaway message is the challenge to mining process engineers to be flexible when they’ve got plenty of energy and when there’s a scarcity of energy, and to design their intermittent processes to take advantage of that,” he said.

“When you’re using free power, it’s green, you’re not burning any fuel to produce it, and your operating cost is cheaper.”

The three-day summit welcomed discussions from an array of industry figures bringing their different views of how to move towards a future of carbon-free mining. Although held virtually, the event was an important opportunity to connect with other industry peers and learn from each other.

“Everybody wins if you start to share your information and knowledge,” Ray said. “It’s refreshing to see how rapidly the mining sector is taking this on. Sometimes, seeing that another plant is doing it and working fine is enough to give other miners the confidence to transition too.”

“For every conversation at the conference, behind the scenes there are many more miners sharing their learnings, so these events accelerate change.”

Entura’s presence at the conference enabled us to engage in these conversations and demonstrate why we’re a leader in advanced off-grid hybrid integration systems.

“That’s one of the things about Entura,” said Greg. ‘We’re here to make a difference and lead the renewable revolution. It’s about continuing to be there at the front and to push that envelope.”

You can watch the full session here.  

Entura welcomes announcement of Genex Power’s major milestone for Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro project

Specialist power and water consulting firm Entura welcomes Genex Power’s achievement of financial close on its flagship 250 MW Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project in North Queensland.

L-R: Simon Kidston, Genex Executive Director, Tammy Chu, Entura Managing Director and Michael Addison, Genex Non-Executive Director.

Following the issuing of Notices to Proceed, design and construction activities have commenced on the project, which is expected to be completed in 2024.

Entura was engaged in 2018 to deliver Owner’s Engineer services for the project. Entura previously completed the Technical Feasibility Study for the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project, focusing on optimising the project to achieve a design which was technically and commercially feasible.

The project is only the fourth pumped hydro project to be built in Australia, and will utilise two disused gold mine pits as its upper and lower reservoirs.

“We’re pleased to be partnering with Entura again to support the delivery of this landmark project in Queensland,” said James Harding, CEO of Genex Power.

“The Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project will pave the way for renewables to play a larger role in Australia’s electricity grid,” said James Harding. “Entura’s wealth of experience and capability in renewables and network integration, along with intimate knowledge of the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project, makes Entura the ideal partner to enable the success of our projects.”

As Owner’s Engineer on the Kidston Pumped Storage Hydro Project, Entura will play a vital role in ensuring timely, quality outcomes for Genex Power during the construction phase of the project.

Entura’s scope includes a review of activities (detailed design and engineering verification, review of EPC contractors’ plans, and grid connection arrangement), project management, construction and commissioning advice.

Commenting on the announcement, Entura’s Managing Director, Tammy Chu, said, “We congratulate Genex on this major milestone and stand ready to support Genex to deliver its renewable energy vision.”

“As passionate advocates for dispatchable renewables, Entura is delighted to have the opportunity to continue to strengthen the relationship we have developed with Genex during our work so far on this ground-breaking pumped hydro project, as well as through our Owner’s Engineer role on the Jemalong Solar Farm.”

L-R: Glenn Butcher, Queensland Minister for Regional Development and Manufacturing and Minister for Water, James Harding, Genex Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ralph Craven, Genex Non-Executive Chairman and Senator Susan McDonald, Senator for Queensland.

Genex Power expects the pumped hydro project to create more than 800 jobs in the region over the four-year construction period, and to deliver significant benefits to the electricity network in North Queensland.

Financiers include the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, the Australian Renewable Energy Agency, the Clean Energy Finance Corporation, and the Queensland State Government.

“Entura is pleased to be able to play a role in the realisation of the first pumped hydro project in Australia in decades,” said Tammy Chu, “which will serve as a leading example of how pumped hydro can deliver the rapid-response, flexible power to mitigate challenges in our transitioning energy system and achieve a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy future.”

Entura is one of the leading consultants in renewables development and integration in Australia and the Indo-Pacific region, with significant experience in utility-scale hydropower, pumped hydro, solar and wind farms, energy storage and grid connection. The firm works with clients to help tackle the challenges of creating hybrid renewable energy projects, from grid-connected and utility-scale to small, isolated systems.

Entura was also previously appointed as Owner’s Engineer for Genex’s Jemalong Solar Farm in NSW.

The Kidston PHES site.

Entura makes a welcome return to in-person and onsite dam safety training

Entura is continuing its efforts to educate and empower the water industry with a return to delivering in-person, onsite training thanks to the easing of COVID restrictions in Tasmania.

Entura’s clean energy and water institute (ECEWI) recently delivered its first in-person, onsite dam safety course at its Cambridge office in Tasmania since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Eight participants from TasWater attended the ECEWI dam safety awareness refresher course, which included classroom training held at Entura’s dedicated training space. The training was conducted by Entura’s senior civil engineer and accredited trainer, Shao Ng.

Shao reinforced the participants’ awareness of key components of dam safety. Topics included identifying risks such as embankment dam erosion, seepage, turbidity, cracking, and concrete dam defects, as well as key items to inspect and possible remedial actions.

TasWater participants were also able to visit a dam site at Flagstaff Gully near Hobart to apply their classroom learning in the field.

“All the participants were keen to learn and update their skills throughout the classroom training, which was topped off with a practical site visit,” said Shao. “The training was a success, with immediate relevance to the participants’ daily jobs.”

This training course was the first of many upcoming onsite refresher training sessions that ECEWI will deliver for TasWater, with the aim of training 100 participants by the end of 2021.

“For TasWater, ECEWI can deliver training particularly efficiently as we have a longstanding and strong working relationship with TasWater, and know its assets very well through our ongoing projects,” said ECEWI’s Program Coordinator, Leesa deGroot.

These will be conducted through a mix of face-to-face onsite training and MS Teams theory sessions, with practical sessions to follow. This will allow more people to be involved at one time and reduce the impact on participants’ work requirements.

ECEWI also recently conducted an accredited training course in Launceston for TasWater, Tasmanian Irrigation and the TasWater Capital Delivery Office. The two-day course consisted of a day’s theory session, assessments to show competency in these areas, and a visit to a dam site where students could demonstrate practical competency. The three units of competency are mapped under the national water package. ECEWI is one of the few RTOs in Australia to run these skillset training packages.

As well as local and national training opportunities, ECEWI is currently organising a 15-day remote training program with participants in the Philippines, scheduled for August.

“This very large training program will cover many different disciplines and will be a challenge,” said Leesa, “however, we look forward to delivering remote training to this overseas cohort and continuing our contribution to a safer dams industry throughout the Indo-Pacific region, despite ongoing international COVID circumstances.”

In November 2020, ECEWI conducted a remote six-day seminar with the Malaysian National Committee on Large Dams (MYCOLD), which will be followed with an in-country training session in late 2021 in Malaysia, depending on the coronavirus circumstances at that time.

“Offering tailored training to the power and water industry through ECEWI is one way in which Entura supports resilient infrastructure for sustainable communities,” said Amanda Ashworth, Entura’s Director of Strategy, Sales and Commercial.

Entura’s studies culminate in selection of preferred Tasmanian pumped hydro site

Entura welcomes the significant milestone, announced this week, that Lake Cethana has been selected as Hydro Tasmania’s preferred site for a Tasmanian pumped hydro opportunity, with the project now set to progress to final feasibility stage.

Entura has been instrumental in the pre-feasibility and feasibility investigations of three promising Tasmanian pumped hydro sites, narrowed down from early studies of 14 options.

Pumped hydro opportunities at Lake Cethana and Lake Rowallan in Tasmania’s North West and another near Tribute Power Station on the West Coast were prioritised for assessment on a range of technical, environmental, social and economic factors.

“This announcement is the culmination of an enormous effort over the past two years from Entura’s specialists in engineering design, environment, stakeholder engagement and planning,” said Entura’s Technical Design Manager of the Battery of the Nation pumped hydro feasibility studies, Nick West.

“The Cethana option has deep storage capacity, greater cost certainty, environmental and social sustainability, and flexibility in sizing and capacity, making it the preferred site for finalisation of feasibility studies,” he said.

“We are excited to be progressing Tasmania’s Battery of the Nation opportunity with storage infrastructure that will support Australia’s clean energy transition.”

Feasibility studies on the Lake Cethana pumped hydro project will continue in 2021, including more on-ground investigations and engagement with local communities and stakeholders to look more closely at technical, social and environmental factors associated with the project.

The announcement came alongside the signing of a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Tasmanian and Australian Governments, marked by a visit from the Prime Minister, Tasmanian Premier, and Federal and State Energy Ministers to Trevallyn Power Station.

The MOU outlines a shared path forward for further progressing Marinus Link, which would provide 1500 MW of new interconnection between Tasmania and mainland Australia. The MOU also includes support for the pumped hydro and hydropower upgrade opportunities in the existing portfolio that form the Battery of the Nation initiative.

“The announcement of the selection of Cethana and the signing of the MOU are major milestones for Battery of the Nation,” said Tammy Chu, Entura’s Managing Director.

“With progress on the Cethana pumped hydro project and Marinus Link, Tasmania can look forward to unlocking our cost-effective, dispatchable, highly flexible renewable energy and deep storage capacity so that it is ready when the market needs it,” she said.

“At this pivotal time in Australia’s energy transition, Entura is proud to apply our extensive hydropower and pumped hydro expertise to support Tasmania’s journey beyond 100% renewables and its provision of affordable, reliable, sustainable energy to the nation.”

The Cethana pumped hydro development pathway will align with development milestones for the second of the two 750MW Marinus Link interconnectors.

Pre-feasibility studies were jointly funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Hydro Tasmania.

Announcements made this week included support for progressing another component of the Battery of the Nation opportunity: the redevelopment of Hydro Tasmania’s existing Tarraleah hydropower scheme to be able to take advantage of Tasmania’s increased ability to export power into the National Electricity Market via Marinus Link. Feasibility studies for the redevelopment have also been undertaken by Entura and early works on the project could potentially start as soon as 2021.