| Australasia


terrestrial applications have extraordinary potential for positive economic and social impact. ‘Swinburne is focused on ensuring that the vital


research we do has significant positive impact. The important work of mDetect, led by Swinburne’s Professor Alan Duffy, is emblematic of Swinburne’s cutting-edge research and our ability to market innovative ideas. This is paving the way for successful research commercialisation that provides real solutions for industries,’ Quester said. OZ Minerals who will deploy the device at their tailings dam at the Carrapateena Province in South Asutralia. ‘‘mDetect is proof of the power of collaboration and what can be achieved when researchers and industry come together to commercialise world leading ideas. Their product offers a solution that has the potential to detect, prevent and mitigate failure of tailings dams across the world. Any investment in the prevention of tailings dam failures not only ensures mining operators can operate safely, but also reduces the chance of untold ecological, social and financial impacts from such adverse events,’ Managing Director of AMGC, Dr Jens Goennemann said. mDetect will work with local manufacturing company Elgee Industries and Swinburne’s Factory of the Future to produce the muon devices at scale. Connecting these devices and turning detections into underground images will be undertaken by Swinburne’s Astronomy Data and Computing Services software development team.


New Zealand refurbishment Contact Energy has begun a five-year a project to


replace half of the 60-year-old hydropower turbines at the 320MW Roxburgh Power Station in New Zealand, with Voith contracted to work on the scheme. Roxburgh Power Station was commissioned between 1956 and 1962 and still generates with the eight original Canadian built turbines. The first four were installed in 1956/57 and the second four in 1960/61. The current project will see four of the power station’s eight hydro turbines replaced, with the first new turbine scheduled to come online in 2024. The replacement turbines will be designed using modern engineering and manufacturing techniques resulting in more efficient use of the existing water flows, delivering an additional 44GWh of energy in an average hydrology year. “While a turbine replacement project isn’t as grand as a new build, we are constantly looking for ways to demonstrate operational excellence and improve our generation efficiency. We want to make the best use of the precious taonga we are responsible for,” explained Contact CEO Mike Fuge. “We expect Voith will supplement its international experts with local construction workers and NZ based contractors, which is positive news for the local Alexandra and Roxburgh communities. Projects like these will have real, tangible benefits for our local communities.” Fuge said the original turbines have performed


“extremely well” for 70-year-old technology, and have provided clean, renewable electricity for New Zealand since the 1950s. Stephen Lewis, President and CEO of Voith Hydro


APAC, said that Voith Hydro is honoured to be associated with the efficiency and performance improvement of the turbines at the historic Roxburgh Power Station. The


project will be executed in collaboration between Voith Hydro Engineering centres in US, Germany and India and the new turbines shall be manufactured at Voith Hydro’s manufacturing facility in Vadodara (India). The site works will be supplemented by local construction workers from a New Zealand based subcontractor. Once the design, scale model testing, and fabrication are completed by Voith Hydro, the turbines will be shipped to New Zealand. Contact expects the first unit to arrive in 2023. Each turbine requires approximately six months of installation and commissioning work before it begins operation.


Drought Auckland Council’s governing body unanimously


agreed to lift the region’s remaining outdoor water restrictions on 23 October 2021. Restrictions were first put in place in May 2020 in response to record-breaking drought that saw Auckland’s dam levels drop to 42.5%. Dam levels are now above normal, which together with new water supply established over the last 18 months, provides enough certainty that restrictions will not need to be reintroduced in the near future. After a record-breaking drought in 2019/20, and a long period of drier than normal conditions, increased rainfall since August has significantly boosted dam storage levels. “Current storage is above 93 per cent, up from just 60 per cent in July and slightly higher than the level normal at this time of year,” Mayor Phil Goff said. “This means we have headroom to lift the remaining water restrictions with little risk that they would need to be reimposed in the short term.” Aucklanders were congratulated for doing “a fantastic job “of reducing their water consumption over the 17 months since restrictions were first introduced – saving more than 20 billion litres. Alongside Aucklanders’ water-saving efforts, Auckland Council has backed utility Watercare to increase water supply through new water treatment plants and network improvements to reduce leakage. By the first quarter of 2022 water supply should be up to 104 million litres a day higher than the pre-drought period. Neighbouring Hamilton City Council was also


thanked for agreeing to share its unused water allocation of 25 million litres a day with Auckland last summer – an agreement that is still in place today on an ‘as required’ basis. Watercare is wholly owned by Auckland Council, and is New Zealand’s largest water utility supplying water to 1.7million people in the Auckland region. ●


www.waterpowermagazine.com | December 2021 | 15


Above: Roxburgh hydroelectric power station on the Clutha River in New Zealand. Contact Energy has announced a project to replace half of the 60-year-old turbines at the 320MW plant over the next five years


Below: After a record-breaking drought in 2019-20 and a long period of drier than normal conditions, rainfall since August has boosted dam storage levels across Auckland


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