Towers in
Australian Rain Forest
Helicopters access towers to inspect or replace silicone 160 kN insulators selected for this sensitive portion of line.
Photos: INMR ©
In early 1999, engineers Brian Pokarier( top right) and Henry Hawes took INMR into a rugged, snakeinfested forest.
Powerlink’ s 275 kV Springmount-Woree line, running to the northern coastal city of Cairns, offers a wonderful example of a utility’ s effort to balance environmental and maintenance concerns.
Apparently, one of the pre-conditions to obtain approval for the double circuit line that would pass through a sensitive area of rain forest was that the surrounding land had to be allowed to regenerate to its full height, with no vegetation management. That meant that each tower along a 15 km line section where trees can grow to 40 m had to be a colossus reaching up 85 m and weighing some 56 tons, given the structural demands associated with such height and local wind loading.
A key issue then was how to conduct routine inspection and repairs in the heart of a virtually untouched rainforest. The solution was to incorporate helicopter-landing platforms on selected towers, thereby allowing crews to quickly access each section of line from the air – something that would not be possible from the ground.
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