Kangaroo Island

About This Project

SDAE was appointed as the Engineer and Turnkey Contractor by ETSA Utilities to design and construct a 6MWe diesel powered generating plant at the Kingscote Substation on Kangaroo Island, South Australia for network support.

Kangaroo Island is the 3rd largest Island off the Australian Coast, approximately 7 times larger than Singapore and located 110KM south west of Adelaide.

Power to the 4500 people that live on the island is supplied down the South Coast and then via submarine cable across to the Island.

The power station provides Network Support to assist in improving the quality and reliability of the electricity to the island from problems that could occur along this power supply line and on the island.

The plant incorporates 3 x 2MWe Caterpillar Low Emission 3516B Generators. They are installed in individual bays in a common acoustically treated building with control room located at one end. The plant is designed for full remote auto control from the Network Operation Centre situated in Adelaide.

To meet the South Australian EPA’s NOx (Oxides of Nitrogen) ground level concentrations as determine by Ausplume (Plume Modelling Software) Selective Catalytic Reactors (SCR) have been used in the exhaust systems.

ETSA Utilities “NOC” (Network Operation Centre) has full control of the generators. When required to operate they control them through microwave communications directly from their headquarters in Adelaide. There are numerous levels of redundancy:

• Operate from NOC in Adelaide
• Operate from Scada in local control room
• Operate individually under manual control on touch screens in each engine room

The generator sets can be paralleled to the grid and also be coordinated with the Island load via Substation control from the ETSA Utilities NOC to provide network support (improve quality of supply) or to black Start and power the entire island.