Works on AusNet’s $500 million Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCLs) bushfire mitigation program have been completed.
AusNet Services have installed REFCLs in 22 locations in outer Melbourne and across northern and eastern Victoria, including in Belgrave, Ferntree Gully, Lilydale and Ringwood.
A remote REFCL has also been installed on Belgrave-Gembrook Road in Selby.
Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio announced on Friday 3 November the 45th and final cutting-edge Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCL) had been installed at Benalla – completing the state’s single biggest investment in powerline bushfire safety.
This installment marks the completion of AusNet’s work on its $500 million Rapid Earth Fault Current Limiter (REFCLs) bushfire mitigation program, which will reduce bushfire risk and help keep communities safe.
A REFCL works like a giant safety switch that shuts off power when the powerline comes into contact with vegetation or the ground – significantly reducing the chance of ignition.
The use of REFCLs for bushfire prevention is a world first – now countries across the globe are following Victoria’s lead with trials of the technology underway in fire prone parts of California.
During the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfires, REFCLs were triggered 33 times on total fire ban days by faults that could have ignited catastrophic bushfires.
In response to the Royal Commission into the 2009 Black Saturday bushfires, REFCLs were proposed as the most efficient and cost-effective way to reduce the risk of fires caused by powerlines.
Their installation better protects Victorian communities by reducing the risk of bushfires starting from powerlines by up to 70 per cent, across more than 31,000km of high-voltage (22 kilovolt) lines through the state’s high-risk bushfire areas or half the network in Victoria.
Working from zone substations, REFCLs deliver this reduction in fire starts from powerlines for both regional and rural communities by detecting and suppressing energy from dangerous faults on fallen high-voltage powerlines within milliseconds.
Minister for Energy and Resources Lily D’Ambrosio and AusNet’s Executive General Manager of Network Operations & Safety, Prue Crawford-Flett recently visited the Benalla substation, the final region to receive this bushfire mitigation technology.
“AusNet has installed REFCL’s at 22 of our substations. These REFCL’s operate like a safety switch, rapidly cutting power to fallen or damaged powerlines, reducing the risk of bushfires, ” Ms Crawford-Flett said.
The recently released Australasian Bushfire Outlook warned that there was a high chance of an early start to the fires season in Victoria this year and the recent fires in the Gippsland region attest to that.
“More broadly, we will continue to invest in the maintenance of our distribution network, with energy reliability a key focus for AusNet,” Ms Crawford-Flett said.
“We will also continue to prepare for Victoria’s energy future by investing in projects that increase network capacity, improve reliability, introduce more renewable energy into the network, and play our role in mitigating the risk of bushfires.”
The state government’s Powerline Bushfire Safety Program has worked closely with the state’s energy safety regulator, Energy Safe Victoria, to ensure compliance and successful operation of the $682 million program.
Lily D’Ambrosio said REFCLs are a “life-saving technology” that act as a giant safety switch when powerlines come into contact with vegetation, reducing the risk of bushfires igniting.
“Bushfire prone areas around the world, including in California, are now looking to Victoria’s leading use of this important technology to better protect their own communities,” she said.
Member for Northern Victoria, Jaclyn Symes also said REFCLs will play a “critical role” in reducing the risk to communities across the state as climate change continues to drive an “increase in the frequency and intensity of catastrophic bushfires”.
