Powercor delivers crucial hospital power backup as part of major network upgrade

Powercor has started work to upgrade electrical infrastructure for Shepparton’s Goulburn Valley Base Hospital that will also provide greater capacity, support greater electrification, and support reliability for nearby homes and businesses.

The project involves building a critical back-up supply line, meaning the hospital will be more resilient to local network power outages and less reliant on its on-site generation.

Crews will also conduct work that will more than double the capacity of power supply – 2.4MVA to 6.5MVA – enough to power the hospital redevelopment, which includes a five-storey inpatient unit including 64 inpatient beds, 10 intensive care beds, four new operating theatres, 12-bed maternity unit, 10-cot special care nursery and a 12-bed paediatric ward.

Powercor’s Head of Major Project Marcus Olive said the upgrade would provide major benefits to the hospital and the local community.

“As well as supporting a larger hospital, the works involve upgrading a back-up line from a separate zone substation, which means the hospital will be able to run at full capacity even if a major outage occurs on one part of the network,” Mr Olive said.

“The upgrade will also strengthen the network for homes and businesses in central and northern Shepparton, improving reliability and creating more capacity on the network for nearby customers.”

The project includes upgrading existing powerlines, installing new underground cables, upgrading substations and replacing switches in and around the hospital precinct.

Work that has started has largely been on and around infrastructure near Powercor’s zone substations, off Benalla Road and on Hawkins Street, while the next phase of the project will involve more visible work in busier parts of the community.

Mr Olive said all efforts were being made to minimise disruptions for customers during the project, but some planned outages, footpath and local road disruptions would occur over coming months.

“From March 27 we will be excavating the north bound lane of Archer Street, near the intersection of Vaughan Street, to allow underground high voltage cables to feed power to the hospital precinct,” Mr Olive said.

“People may notice traffic diversions and changed traffic speed conditions.

“There may also be times throughout the remainder of the project that we need to disrupt power, so our crews can complete their work safely.

“Whenever this happens, we will of course contact customers well in advance to allow them to make alternative arrangements.”

Works are funded as part of the Victorian Government’s Goulburn Valley Base Hospital redevelopment.

The upgrade is expected to be complete by June.

For more information on the Powercor electricity upgrade, visit Major projects | CitiPower & Powercor

For more information on the Goulburn Valley Health Base Hospital redevelopment, visit www.vhba.vic.gov.au/ballarat-base-hospital