By Kaarin Gaukrodger, Connexis

The 2021 landscape for the infrastructure industry is a mix of unique opportunities and challenges. While our workforce continues to be resilient and adaptable to change, Covid-19 has reshaped the lives of not only our workforce but the entire population of New Zealand.

With challenge comes opportunity and because of the critical nature of the work our industry does, ensuring the effective day to day running of the country, the demand for skilled people continues. The labour market has constricted from the impact of Covid-19 but restrictions on people movement around the world has driven demand in the energy sector that has for years been reliant on immigration to cover local skills shortages.

Benefit from enhanced corrosion protection for line hardware and substation components with TDG, which offers superior steel protection, is less harmful to the environment, and costs less than stainless steel.

Do you have corrosion problems in line and substation hardware that is prematurely limiting the life of your electrical equipment?

Metal corrosion on galvanised parts and equipment – particularly in coastal areas – is a significant problem on network assets. The lifespan of Hot Dipped Galvanised parts is typical 5-15 years, which is generally significantly less than the mechanical life expectancy of the parts or equipment.

Early in 2021 distributors and traders will be able to do business under the new Default Distributor Agreement. The DDA brings about a number of changes. One of the changes is improved clarity in the provision of consumption data to distributors by traders (Section 12A., Appendix C). This has and continues to be a contentious issue between industry players. On the one hand the information is vital to the improvement of management of the LV network and on the other hand there is perceived risk of the information being used in ways that it wasn’t intended and potentially damaging for traders or consumers.

Without a robust power supply, essential facilities might not operate following a significant seismic event. With around 20,000 earthquakes in New Zealand each year (GNS Science, 2018), and the likelihood of a significant seismic event occurring in the future, the seismic strengthening of Wellington Electricity’s substation buildings is paramount to ensuring essential facilities can continue to operate during and after such an event. Jacobs provided detailed seismic assessments and seismic retrofit designs for more than 60 existing critical substation buildings.

The Government’s recently announced Free Trades Training scheme is a welcome boost for the infrastructure industry. It provides a platform for attracting keen new workers to build the required workforce capacity and capability to deliver on the pipeline of infrastructure projects.

The Targeted Training and Apprenticeship Fund (TTAF – also called Free Trades Training) of $320 million was announced by the Government to encourage vocational education opportunities for everyone.

Connexis is the industry training organisation for infrastructure, and chief executive Toby Beaglehole says, “Free Trades Training means that a wide range of Connexis apprenticeships and training are now available free, to both existing employees as well as new ones coming on board.

Has your network considered the covered MV Conductor to improve SAIDI?

An open invitation to a webinar – Covered Conductor for MV Overhead Lines – postponed to 30 September 2020.

Overview

MV overhead networks are predominantly uninsulated conductors. However, using a covered conductor in specific locations can significantly improve your network SAIDI as well as offering other advantages. The covered conductor system is designed to provide protection from flashovers from conductors clashing, bird or animal incursions, or tree branches falling onto the line, especially in severe weather conditions and when there is high pollution.

We all love a good strategy, but at some point, somebody must do something – or stop doing something – for change to occur.

There is no shortage of commentary on the energy transition unfolding around the world. Existing paradigms are being challenged on all sides by rapidly declining costs for distributed energy resources, the drive for decarbonisation and the democratisation of energy systems empowered by automatic intelligent control systems.

Utilities will increasingly be measured on resilience, flexibility and security of supply. As resources and control decentralise, the primary role of the utility shifts from an asset-centric focus on ensuring physical capacity between producers and consumers to providing a platform for a diverse set of centralised generators, distributed prosumers including a new class of mobile load with electric vehicles. That platform will be expected to be flexible enough to react to a much broader set of network and market conditions while maintaining security in the face of multiple decision-makers and intermittent generation.

Today’s global power industry is in transition. Collectively, we’re actively evolving towards a carbon neutral position and—almost universally—our energy mix is shifting towards a greater share of renewable generation. However, the transition is not without its challenges. Integration headaches and aging assets are causing reliability issues in some regions. And all the while, demand continues to grow.

For over 70 years, professional services provider, Jacobs, has been delivering infrastructure, technology and intelligence solutions for a smarter, more connected and sustainable world. For its dedicated Power Solutions team, this means joining forces with clients and pooling knowledge and imagination to reinvent the way the industry is tackling some of the biggest challenges and bringing innovative solutions to life. Led by recently appointed Director of Operations Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) Aaron Hochwimmer, the team is helping clients move towards a cleaner and greener energy future.

The covered single conductor forms the basis of all MV covered conductor systems. The covered conductor system, although not a touch-safe screened cable system, is designed to provide protection from initiation of flash-overs due to clashing of conductors, bird or animal incursions, and tree branches or debris which has blown or fallen on to the line, especially in conditions of severe weather and high pollution.

SPACER CABLE SYSTEMS are manufactured by Hendrix (USA) and distributed by Acculec in New Zealand and Australia. They are essentially three covered conductor phases in a close triangular configuration supported by a “messenger” or catenary cable. Hendrix Spacer Cable is used extensively in Canada, Sth America, the United States and in over 60 countries - including 3 Networks in New Zealand. There is increasing interest form Australian networks due to a lower fire risk profile than bare conductor.

More than a decade has past since the Global Financial Crisis, but for Dave Connell, sometimes it can feel like yesterday. Mention the GFC, and there’s an immediate shaking of the head. But it comes with a long, relieved sigh. Dave was one of the lucky ones who made it through.

Fast forward 10 years and Connell’s business has reached new heights – higher still if you count the views of Lake Karapiro and the greater Waikato from the cockpit of Connell’s helicopter. He takes to the skies with a smile on his face; everything’s turned out ok. But that doesn’t mean it’s been easy, nor are the hard yards over.

Hendrix “spacer cable” is unique in the world of overhead covered cable in that the messenger wire the cables suspends from will hold up with a branch or downed medium sized tree across it.

Spacer cable systems provides the highest form of reliability on Distribution networks. The compact configuration and the placement on one side of the pole reduces the exposure to trees. When trees or branches do come down (as shown below) the messenger wire will support the cables – ensuring uninterrupted service; until crews can get to them.

Connexis helps open career doors nationwide for young women

Hundreds of young women throughout the country have experienced a taste of working in the infrastructure industry in a programme designed to showcase different career options.

The infrastructure industry keeps New Zealand running – through water, power and roading - and is a booming sector that is forecast to require around 44,000 more people over the next five years. New recruits are vital to keep the industry operating and women are significantly underrepresented, only accounting for about 6 per cent of new trainees.