BE Power Hudson Creek Power Station

BACKGROUND

As a further part of the NT Government initiative to enhance the capacity of the local electricity network supply, SwitchCo were engaged to manage the design and construction contract of a 12MW reciprocating gas engine power plant in Hudson Creek, Northern Territory. Initially, SwitchCo was brought on board as client-side Project Managers. Later on, Switch Co’s role was extended to provide project governance and advise with grid connection, compliance, and reliability run testing until operational readiness of the project. The project is anticipated to achieve practical completion during Q1 2025.

CHALLENGES

The project commenced at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia in early-2020. Ongoing border closures and travel restrictions made travel to the site for anyone based outside of the NT difficult, which included SwitchCo, the client, and the D&C Contractor. This resulted in delays in construction and added costs associated with catering to the restrictions. The project team needed to quickly pivot in response to these uncertain conditions. SwitchCo worked closely alongside all stakeholders to mitigate these challenges as a team via deploying an adaptive and responsive project management methodology throughout the entire project life cycle.

OUTCOMES

SwitchCo used its range of resources and specialty skills to remotely manage the project. This included an incremental approach, allowing greater adaptability and responsiveness as required by the effects of the pandemic. The project has been constructed successfully and grid connection hold point compliance testing is underway. The NT electrical distribution network capacity has been enhanced, and its capability to manage the increasing demand from consumers has been increased. SwitchCo’s effective stakeholder management led to significant time saving in governing the commissioning and grid connection process, through managing the expectations and balancing the needs across all involved parties.