Schneider Electric has been chosen to supply the complete electrical package for the Western Corridor Water Recycling Project, the largest water recycling project in the Southern Hemisphere and the largest in the world.
The agreement covers all three advanced water treatment plants and pump station infrastructure, under an 18 months contract, worth more than $10 million.
The package includes: MODICON Quantum PLC control system with CITECT SCADA; Connexium Industrial
Ethernet equipment; Altivar 61 & 71 variable speed drives; an Accusine active harmonic mitigation solution; Kiosk
transformer Substations up to 3500kVa; Integrated 33kV Switchgear; 11kV Switchboards and Low Voltage
distribution equipment.
The $2.4 billion dollar WCRWP is centred on the Brisbane river basin to Moreton Bay and the Wivenhoe Dam.
Upon completion in December 2008, it will boast more than 200 kilometres of underground large diameter pipeline and three new Advanced Water Treatment Plants (AWTP) at Bundamba, Luggage Point and Gibson Island, and will have the capacity to produce up to 232 megalitres of purified recycled water — about half of the current industrial and home demand.
This massive and complex project required an equally impressive electrical control system. Chris Holmes, Manager for Water Treatment at SJ Electric, was responsible for the installation of all electrical control equipment at the Bundamba 1A Plant. He says that one of the biggest challenges for his workforce was the short time frame for designing and building the system, which was done in 15 months, and included one 11kV main switchboard of 21 modules; 6 x 2.5MVA transformers; 2 x 4000A switchboards; 12 motor control centres and 4 Modicon Quantum PLCs in a Hot Standby configuration. The PLCs are Ethernet based with self-healing fiberoptic
communication links.
Bundamba AWTP Stage 1A was completed on time and was opened in August 2007 by former Premier Peter
Beattie. It supplies up to 20 megalitres of purified recycled water to Swanbank Power Station near Ipswich.
Stage 1B which includes the upgrade of Bundamba AWTP, will be completed by June 30. The remainder of Stage
1B will see Oxley Waste Water Treatment Plant connected to Goodna by 17 kilometres of pipeline, more than 80
kilometres of pipeline laid from Bundamba to Caboonbah and construction of five massive water tanks and four
pumping stations. Once Stage 1B is complete the project will have the capacity to supply up to 66 megalitres of
purified recycled water a day to the South East Queensland Water Grid.
For more information visit http://www.westerncorridor.com.au or contact the Schneider Electric’s Customer Service Centre, 1300 369 233.