We’re proud to share that the Mount Crosby East Bank Critical Electrical Infrastructure Renewal, delivered collaboratively with Seqwater, has received the NECA QLD Award in the Industrial X-Large category. Pensar was engaged to deliver the $40+ million electrical infrastructure upgrade at the Mount Crosby East Bank Pump Station. On a typical day, the precinct supplies 50% of all drinking water to the Southeast Queensland community, including Gold Coast, Logan, Unitywater and Urban Utilities’ customers. View the awards video here
The Mount Crosby East Bank Pump Station is Queensland’s largest facility of its kind and a critical component of the South-East Queensland water grid, supplying approximately half the region’s drinking water to Brisbane and Ipswich. The $40m+ Critical Electrical Infrastructure (CEI) renewal was undertaken as part of Seqwater’s East Bank Flood Resilience Program, addressing the vulnerability of a heritage-listed, 130-year-old facility with poor flood immunity. Left unaddressed, this risk threatened system failure and prolonged loss of water supply to a large portion of South-East Queensland. The project scope included connecting the pump station to a new Energex substation, replacing 16 high voltage motors and the main HV switchboard, constructing a new spares shed and HV conduit bank, delivering monitoring and control system upgrades, and various flood mitigation, all while continuing to protect a historically significant heritage asset and maintain continuous operation of the site.
Pensar’s involvement with the project commenced in mid-2023 over a six-month early contractor involvement. Pensar invested considerable time in the ECI phase, working with Seqwater to define the project and strategy, then shape the design and development. This ECI phase set a foundation for stage 2 construction and overall project success, under a risk adjusted maximum price (RAMP) model, effectively apportioning risk between Pensar and Seqwater. This facilitated a collaborative approach to delivery with open communication, enabling goals for both parties to be achieved successfully. Sustainability was embedded throughout delivery. More than 134 tonnes of scrap metal, including legacy cables, transformers, switchboards and motors, was diverted from landfill through decommissioning and recycling, avoiding an estimated 200 tonnes of associated emissions.