25 Feb 2021
In December 2020, Evoenergy released its Annual Planning Report highlighting areas in our local electricity network that have existing and emerging capacity constraints due to population growth and urban expansion.
Constraints in our electricity network develop where demand is approaching the capability limit of our existing equipment and the supply potential for an area. This requires new investment to ensure we can continue to supply safe and reliable electricity to residents into the future.
Traditionally, energy distribution companies invest in new or augmented infrastructure to address network constraints, however Evoenergy Strategy and Operations Manager Leylann Hinch says that non-network solutions such as batteries are the best way to limit unnecessary investment in more ‘poles and wires’ and keep costs down for everyone.
“Planning and looking ahead to how our energy network needs to evolve is one of the most important things we do at Evoenergy, and this year our analysis shows that there are key areas that require planning focus in the short-medium term,” said Mr Hinch.
“This year we have observed that there are some localised constraints in the network that we will continue to monitor and address, but the most significant constraints are in Molonglo Valley and at the Gold Creek substation, with emerging constraints in the Inner North and West Belconnen.”
“Both Molonglo Valley and Gold Creek are similar in that they continue to have significant residential growth which places increasing demand on existing infrastructure, but through a recent Regulatory Investment Test for Distribution (RIT-D) we are working with a proponent on a large-scale battery solution.”
“This solution has the potential to allow us to defer the development of a new zone substation, which is great news for securing the safety and reliability of power supply and also to keep cost down for consumers.”
For the first time this year, Evoenergy has released a digital interactive map that shows the location of existing network constraints, and constraints that will emerge over the next three years—to make it easier to identify opportunities for investment and collaboration.
“We’ll continue to work with industry partners to discuss potential non-network options to address these constraints, but we’d encourage any business or non-network provider to look at the map and come forward and work with us to find solutions in these areas,” said Mr Hinch.
To download a copy of the Evoenergy 2020 Annual Planning Report visit https://www.evoenergy.com.au/about-us/reports-and-publications/annual-planning-report, or to view the network constraints map visit https://apr.evoenergy.com.au/.
Background
Evoenergy releases its Annual Planning Report to inform network service providers, market participants, consumers and interested parties of near-term constraints impacting Evoenergy’s network, and factors impacting long-term demand forecasts and network reliability. The report also provides information about network capacity limitations, asset renewal, power quality and reliability in relation to transmission lines, zone substations and the local distribution network.
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