Work has commenced on expanding Shepparton’s power facilities, with Powercor investing $10 million to improve services.
Construction on the new depot at 60 Doyles Road commenced last month and will provide space for future growth and safer design. The new depot is also significantly larger than the current Wheeler Street depot, which was built in 1966.
The Wheeler Street depot currently employs 45 people, including field crews, engineers and planners. The new facilities at Doyles Road will support up to 25 percent increase in field resources in the future, with crews at the new depot supporting customers in Shepparton, Murchison, Dookie, Tatura, Mooroopna, Kyabram, Rushworth and the surrounding region.
Within the Greater Shepparton region alone, employees will operate and maintain 22,684 poles, 2,621km of powerlines and 4,304 distribution transformers, delivering power to more than 33,550 Powercor customers.
The Doyles Road depot will feature improved office facilities, storage areas for equipment and fleet, and will support the future expansion of the workforce as part of Powercor’s program to deliver safe, reliable and affordable electricity to customers.
Shepparton field leader, Trevor Laffy said the upgrade reinforced Powercor’s commitment to the region.
“It is because of our local depots that crews can manage and respond quickly to network faults and customer needs,” Mr Laffy said.
“The existing depot is over 50 years old – it was built in a different era to accommodate different equipment and trucks. The upgraded facility will allow us to better accommodate the large, modern equipment and trucks our crews now use, and the specialist equipment necessary for maintaining electrical infrastructure.
“This all leads to greater standards of reliability of electricity supplies for customers.”
During the last five years, Powercor has made substantial investments in regional services: upgrading six depots and adding three new depots; providing crews with better technology, allowing faster access necessary for an effective response; and improving fleet vehicles and resources. With these additional resources, Powercor has embarked on a major works program boosting network safety and capacity.
The new facility at Doyles Road is expected to be completed by mid-2020.
