Ohinewai switching station was constructed to extract greater capacity and flexibility from existing transmission lines into Auckland and the North.
The Ohinewai switching station project was delivered in a very tight time frame with construction taking only twelve months from breaking soil to commissioning. The project required in excess of 150,000 cubic metres of dirt to be relocated in order to get the foundations of the new station to specification. After the platform was complete, installation of a new breaker and a half switching station with two 4000A 220kV buses was constructed. The project works also included the relocation of transmission lines to two new towers for connection to new station gantries. Innovative construction techniques were employed to compress the construction timetable.
Edison was engaged by Transpower to project manage all tendering, design and installation works for the project.
The role required a consistent onsite representation for all critical activities and with a total of 23 supply, design and construction contracts the role of coordinating these suppliers was identified early as a key success factor to delivering the project.