Presented by the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM), the awards recognise excellence in all aspects of project management across Australia. Coffey Projects qualified for the National Awards after being the State Category Winner in Queensland earlier this year.
The A$220 million project entailed the construction and delivery of two state-of-the-art, bio-fuelled, 30 megawatt green energy co-generation power stations located at Broadwater and Condong, in northern New South Wales. The plants, which are the two largest baseload renewable energy facilities in Australia, will provide power to 60,000 homes in the Northern Rivers region.
Coffey Projects was engaged by client Sunshine Electricity in May 2005 as the Construction Site Manager and Superintendent for the delivery of the project. Sunshine Electricity is a joint venture of the NSW state-owned Delta Electricity and the New South Wales Sugar Milling Co-operative (NSWSMC), two unrelated industries seeking greenhouse gas emission reduction strategies.
“In every sense, the Sunshine Electricity project has been a monumental success. The project has benefited the local community and the industry, and met every desired environmental objective,” said Dave Mason, Coffey Projects manager in Queensland.
“Coffey Projects delivered both projects as a single contract, which was established on a performance based technical specification, and the client selected Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) as the project delivery methodology. Each site required the construction of a boiler and auxiliary plant, the installation of a steam-turbine generator, fuel handling system, electrical and surrounding civil works.
“As Construction Site Managers, we oversaw the construction activities and all commissioning and performance tests to ensure the plants delivered what they were designed to produce, meeting an increased local demand for electricity and reducing emissions from electricity generation. The plants also contribute to meeting the Australian Federal Government renewable energy target of sourcing 20 per cent of our energy from renewable sources by 2020.”
The project aimed to accommodate the local community in reducing and ultimately eliminating cane field burning and provide additional income streams to sugar cane farmers to ensure the long term sustainability of the sugar milling industry. It has also upgraded outdated and unsafe equipment at both sugar mills and reduced operational costs.
Media contact
Diana Krause, Global Manager External Communication, Coffey
T: (+61) (3) 9473 1300; M: (+61) 420 959 942; E: diana_krause@coffey.com
Photo 1: One of the two state of the art bio-fuelled co-generation plants, the Condong operation: only water vapour is emitted.
Photo 2: The co-generation plant including the overland conveyor used to transfer fuel (sugar cane bagasse) between the stockpile and the boiler.
