One of the new power transmission line towers along Canberra Avenue west of HMAS Harman.
Regular users of Canberra Avenue and Hindmarsh Drive at Symonston may have noticed a number of large poles being positioned alongside these major arterials in recent days.
The poles are part of a major upgrade project for HMAS Harman, the Royal Australian Navy’s communications base located against the eastern edge of the ACT next to Queanbeyan.
Once erected, 28 new poles standing between 21 and 32 metres high with a span of between 120 metres and 210 metres will support a 3.6 km-long extension of the 132 kV transmission line from the existing East Lake to Gilmore transmission line, which runs west of the Monaro Highway.
The extension will run from near the southwestern corner of Hindmarsh Drive and the Monaro Highway, along the southern side of Hindmarsh Drive to its junction with Canberra Avenue, then along the southern side of Canberra Avenue to a new substation at Harman.
HMAS Harman is a critical link in the Royal Australian Navy’s communications network and an administrative centre for Navy personnel in the Canberra region.
The communications elements include the Naval Communications Area Master Station Australia (NAVCAMSAUS); Naval Communications Station (NAVCOMMSTA) Canberra, which provides UHF military satellite communications and high-frequency radio communications for the Australian Defence Force (ADF); and Defence Network Operations Centre (DNOC) which provides support for ADF military operations. Combined, these are known as NAVCAMSAUS Command.
Harman is also home to two Army Reserve units, a Naval Cadet unit, and the Royal Australian Air Force’s No 28 Squadron reserve unit.
Like many of the ADF’s bases, Harman is currently undergoing redevelopment, including new and refurbished office accommodation, an upgraded and expanded base entry precinct, and refurbished live-in accommodation. It will also include new data storage, upgraded communications and intelligence facilities, and associated large-scale cooling and air systems.
Despite suffering delays and cost blowouts during the early stages of the redevelopment, the works have been exempted from parliamentary review due to their sensitive nature. The new works are part of a later stage of the project and believed to have been designed in part by Defence’s wider Joint Project 9131 Cyber Capability Facility Project.
A 2019 tender document states: “Continuous and uninterrupted power supply is essential to support Harman’s communication capabilities.
“The power supply augmentation requirement under project … is to enable Defence to meet its objective for Harman to convert from (the current 11 kV low voltage) to (a 132 kV high voltage) supply arrangement.”
A 2022 environmental impact statement (EIS) prepared by GHD Pty Ltd on behalf of Evoenergy states: “The project would allow Evoenergy to supply Defence with electricity necessary to support future operational requirements at Harman.
“The existing electrical infrastructure is inadequate to support the anticipated load required. This large step increase in power supply is required to support Harman and Defence’s mission and purpose to defend Australia and its national interests.”
Construction is scheduled from 7 am to 6 pm Monday to Saturday, and 8 am to 6 pm on Sundays and public holidays. The works are expected to be complete by early 2024.
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