Solar Power To Help Protect NT/QLD Gas Pipeline

Image: MPower/Jemena

MPower has announced delivery of the first off-grid solar power systems for Jemena’s Northern Gas Pipeline have commenced.

The systems, comprised of solar panels, battery storage and a sophisticated control system, will provide impressed current cathodic protection along the 623km pipeline, which will run from Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory to Mount Isa in Queensland.

Impressed current cathodic protection involves shielding steel structures from corrosion by applying a direct current between the structure and an earth point. For applications such as extensive underground pipelines in remote locations, using off grid solar power is a more cost-effective approach to inhibiting corrosion than galvanic cathodic protection, which involves the use of sacrificial anodes.

Construction of the $800 million Northern Gas Pipeline began in July this year and the first gas is scheduled to flow in late 2018.

MPower says it is designing and constructing a total of ten autonomous remote power systems for the project, to be delivered in stages between now and early 2018.

In other recent news from the company, MPower has been awarded a contract by Endeavour Energy to design, build and implement a 1MWh battery storage network augmentation system for a new residential estate in the Illawarra region of New South Wales.

To be New South Wales’ largest grid support battery project to date according to the company, the system will also be capable of operating in a microgrid mode. The system will have the ability to disconnect from the grid seamlessly and form its own grid supplying the local network, and also reconnect to the main grid seamlessly.

” The benefit of the dual mode is its ability to continue to provide power during times of power outages on the main grid,” states MPower.

As well as helping to manage load growth, peak demand, power quality and providing blackout protection, the system is expected to reduce Endeavour Energy’s network costs.

“We believe battery energy storage at West Dapto could reduce network investment by up to $1 million per year to keep downward pressure on our network charges,” said Endeavour Energy’s General Manager Asset Management Ty Christopher.

The project will be fully operational by the summer of 2018 and pending its performance, Endeavour may roll out similar systems at other locations across its network in an effort to defer the construction of new substations.