In August 2025, our High-Voltage (HV) team took on an exciting project on the Hobart waterfront.
Contact Group was contracted by TasPorts to replace the High-Voltage cable at Macquarie Wharf 5–6.
The cable replaces the old ring main HV from Sub 3 to Sub 2 after it failed in May 2024.
Our HV team has been doing a great job, working in icy conditions over winter to lay 380 metres of cable.
Project Manager Rick Wright said the project had run incredibly smoothly, in part thanks to an innovative wooden template they engineered that sits inside the trench to hold the conduits in position.
“By putting templates in the trench, we were able to pour consolidated sand down the whole length of the trench.”
“So instead of doing the pour in stages, the team could do it in one smooth go,” he said.
Working on a busy commercial wharf brought an additional layer of complexity, requiring strict safety measures and meticulous planning.
The site is a constant hub of movement, with vessels docking and departing, heavy equipment operating, and multiple work crews completing simultaneous tasks.
Close project management was essential, with daily coordination meetings, risk assessments, and adjustments to workflows to ensure the project remained on track without disrupting port operations.
Additional conduiting was also installed for future coordination of power requirements for Australia’s Antarctic icebreaker, RSV Nuyina.
Mr Wright thanked TasPorts for the opportunity to be involved and said it had been an interesting job to be part of.
The project, which involved close coordination with TasNetworks as well as TasPorts, has been an overwhelming success.
