Member for Cootamundra Steph Cooke today visited Murrumburrah Showground to see how work to upgrade power transmission systems was progressing.
The site received $266,350 as one of 22 community projects sharing $3.16 million secured by Ms Cooke to assist with the Hilltops amalgamation.
The $266,350 is being used to remove the overhead power cables and install new cabling underground.
“The previous powerlines were old and carried a lot of electrical current, which means this upgrade is of vital importance,” Ms Cooke said.
“They are now being replaced with underground hardware which means the workmen here can remove the 28 power poles and 1100 metres of old cabling.
“These old cables carried an incredible amount of power and there was no power shut-off, only fuses – these upgrades will create a much safer environment at the Showground,” Ms Cooke added.
Not only were the overhead cables old and some of the power poles in need of repair, the length of the cabling was creating problems as well.
“These enormous lengths of cable were leading to drop-offs in power at the end furthest from the power supply, with the resistance in such long cabling causing voltage reductions,” Ms Cooke said.
“Anybody who needs to use electrical equipment in these parts of the Showground will no longer have to put up with an unreliable power supply – brownouts will be a thing of the past.”
The grant for Murrumburrah Showground was part of Ms Cooke’s July amalgamation funding announcement totaling almost $6 million.
