Power station reapir project boosts local economy
1 Aug 10
Industrial Plant and Service were engaged in June 2010 by Eraring Energy's Kangaroo Valley Pumping and Power Station to overhaul five of its main valves.
Three of the valves were built by the Boving company in England and the other two by the Voith company in Austria in the mid 1970's. Some of the valves weigh more than 40 tonne in mass and are located five floors below ground level.
The project has a scheduled duration of 18 weeks which is a tight time frame for a project of this nature. Christian Haider from Voith is also here to assist with one of his colleagues yet to arrive from Austria.
The project will inject approx. $350,000 into the local KV economy alone and much more into the surrounding Shoalhaven area and utilising engineering services in Wollongong.
Eraring Energy (EE) staff have also been extremely co-operative in the works being a vital component to the project's success. Dennis Nightingale, Kathryn Coates, Robert Emery, Mark Corkett and Ivor Wright from EE have provided great support to keep the programme on track.
One important focus of the project is safety. Due to the large heavy lifts and complex nature of the works safety is paramount and both Eraring Energy and Industrial Plant and Service (IPS) work together constantly to ensure the workplace remains injury free. As a further incentive for all involved, for every week the project achieves a 100% safety record both Eraring Energy and IPS donate more than $200 to a local charity.
The community has been most hospitable in accomodating us in every aspect, especially Susan and Mike at KV Tourist Park and Carl and Larraine at the Gallery. We have all enjoyed the hospitality here at KV.
Matthew Gepner
Project Engineer - KV Ball Valve Project