The delivery and installation of Australia’s largest solar farm required collaboration between several Qube divisions.
The Qube teams reportedly worked with Sterling and Wilson, the engineering, procurement and construction contractor, that is building the solar site in the Western Downs region of Queensland, as part of the Western Downs Green Hub, located near Chinchilla, 300km northeast of Brisbane.
The most recent aspect of the project involved the customs clearance, transport and installation of two 200,000kg transformers. With a combined team including Qube Global, Qube Renewables, Qube Logistics, AAT and LCR Group working together, the complex and delicate discharge under hook at AAT, took eight hours, before the transformers were placed onto LCR’s new 16-axle trailer.
After complex route surveys and the issuing of permits, the transformers travelled from the Port of Brisbane to the Western Downs site, taking three days per transformer and under police escort which is required when crossing onto the wrong side of the road.
Once arriving on site, the installation process was very complex, according to Qube, involving the jack and skate method, where the transformers were shifted from the trailer into position on the vibrations pads where they will stay for the life of the solar farm.
When in operation, the Western Downs Solar Project will produce enough power for 235,000 homes from 460MW of panels holding up to 150MW of battery energy storage potential.
“This project showcases the unique capability of the Qube business to deliver sophisticated logistics solutions by leveraging the service offerings across our business,” said Qube. “Well done to the teams involved in this complex project.”
