Media Centre
03/07/09100 homes and businesses every week connected to Gold Coast electricity network
Each week, Energex technicians are connecting more than 100 additional homes and businesses to the Gold Coast network.
Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Minister Stephen Robertson today announced the Bligh Government has invested almost $80 million dollars so far this year to further improve the Gold Coast's electricity network to help meet this demand and population growth.
"The government's latest completed project is an $8.3 million upgrade to the Cades County power network," Mr Robertson said.
"This investment demonstrates the Bligh Government is planning for the future and ready to keep pace with unprecedented population growth and electricity demand.
"The new electricity infrastructure on the Gold Coast includes 11 projects that I am advised should be completed by the second half of 2010."
Gold Coast Energex projects started and completed in 2009 include:
- Cades County new transformers and underground cable - $8.3 million
- Staplyton new substation - $5.5 million
- Currumbin new underground cables - $3 million
- Coomera substation transformer - $2.3 million
- Burleigh Heads new underground cable - $2 million
Gold Coast Energex projects started in 2009:
- Merrimac new substation - $20 million (approx completion - Mid 2010)
- Southport substation upgrade - $10.4 million (approx completion - Dec 09)
- Pimpama to Coomera new underground and overhead project $9.6 million (approx completion - Sept 09)
- Mudgeeraba substation - $8.6 million (approx completion - Dec 09)
- Gaven new substation - $6 million (approx completion - Nov 09)
- Hollywell new underground cables - $2.5 million (approx completion - Sept 09)
"More than 12,000 local homes and businesses are benefiting from the recently completed upgrades which included doubling the capacity of the Cades County substation with new transformers and new underground cables to the eastern side of the Pacific Highway," Mr Robertson said.
"The upgrades help to meet Queenslanders ever growing lifestyle demands such as the proliferation of air conditioners, big screen televisions, mobile phones and computers.
"Energex data shows that around 71 per cent of homes on the Gold Coast now have at least one air-conditioner installed - an increase of 21 per cent in just five years.
"More than 1000 South East Queensland homes a week are installing air conditioning systems.
"This equates to nearly 150,000 homes on the Gold Coast now fitted with air-conditioning and is directly linked to the fact that the average South East Queensland home now uses between 50 and 70 per cent more power than they did just a decade ago.
"To ensure we keep pace with this rapid demand growth, the Bligh Government has invested almost $440 million in the South Coast region's electricity network in the last four years," Mr Robertson said.
Member for Albert Margaret Keech said the new Cades Country substation would help cater for growth in the upper Coomera area where power usage has grown by 20 per cent in the past two years and is forecast to jump another 21 per cent over the next three years.
"Such a large population boom requires equally large investments in the electricity infrastructure," Mrs Keech said.
"Not all that long ago Energex used to carry out improvements on the Gold Coast that would total in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
"But now with the population surge and increased domestic power usage, network upgrades in the region are in the vicinity of tens of millions to keep in step with growth.
"Energex is one of the Gold Coast's largest employers with more than 300 permanent staff based in the South Coast region.
"Thanks to these staff and the investment of the Bligh Government, we have planned for and are creating an electricity network on the Gold Coast that meets the demand and the population boom."
Media contact: Minister's office: 07 3224 7332
Last Updated 03 November 2009
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