Level 3 ASPs

What is Happening?

Essential Energy has made further improvements to Power Lines Pro to enhance the user experience for Accredited Service Providers (ASPs).

Composite poles are now available in Power Lines Pro, as per Essential Energy drawing no. CEOM7101.90 within the Network Automodel pole library section of the platform.

Note: Not all composite poles have been created. Essential Energy will automatically update the Network Automodel pole library on the Power Lines Pro platform with the remaining composite poles when the technical parameters are available.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the Network Automodel pole library in Power Lines Pro to access the updated information
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

Design Criteria for the application of additional load to existing poles.

Our current CEOM7097 Overhead Design Manual section 3.5.10 design requirements apply full design loads and a strength reduction factor of 0.5 to existing distribution poles. While this often results in only a modest tip load increase, it requires existing pole replacement.

To limit the need for existing pole replacements, the following changes will be made to CEOM7097 section 3.5.10 Timber pole assessment for additional loads:

• For evaluating the suitability of retaining existing poles for additional loads, a Strength Reduction Factor (ǿ) of up to 0.7 can be applied for existing preservative treated poles only. All new poles and existing natural round (untreated) poles shall use a Strength Reduction Factor of 0.5 as per Essential Energy Overhead Construction Manual drawing CEOM7101.03.
• Wind loads and drag coefficients shall correspond to the values shown in clause 3.5.6.8 – Table 3.5.6.8.2 (Regions A1-A7) and Table 3.5.6.8.3 (Region B) as applicable for a 50 Year Design Working Life and 50 Year Wind Return Period.

These changes are effective immediately and will be updated in the next release of the design manual.

Please note:

These changes apply to distribution poles only, not sub-transmission poles.

When determining the ultimate limit strength of existing wood poles all ASPs are required to calculate the residual pole strength using the Wall Thickness, the lower of either the Critical Zone diameter or Above Ground diameter and the Fibre Stress of the wood pole as defined by the pole species in conjunction with AS2878. These inputs are all found in Essential Energy’s GIS or alternatively residual pole strengths are automatically calculated for each pole when using the Power Lines Pro platform and Essential Energy’s Network Automodel.

Two examples of residual pole strength are shown in the table below for existing wood poles.

• Pole 1 is an existing Preservative Treated 17 m, 6 kN Stress grade S2 (85 MPa) timber pole.
• Pole 2 is an existing Natural Round 17 m, 6 kN Stress grade S2 (85 MPa) timber pole. Pole 1 and Pole 2 have different Ground line diameters (GD) and Wall thickness (W).

The available capacity value in the table is compared against the total design load on the structure determined by design assessment.

These new requirements have been updated in Essential Energy’s Network Automodel for Asps who use Power Lines Pro, as shown in the diagram below:

What do you need to do?

1. Review the above additional load on existing poles.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
3. View this communication via Essential Engagement at engage.essentialenergy.com.au/ASP

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au

What is happening?

Essential Energy’s Asset Label Request Form (CEOF6708 – Operational Form – Contestable Works – Asset Label Request) has been amended to accommodate predrilled pillars.

Please use the guide below when ordering labels for pits and pillars:

• For Pit and Streetlight – order NP Small
• For Predrilled Pillars – order NP Large for Poles and Pillars

Please use the labels you currently have for open projects and order the new size for future projects via the form or for Level 3 ASPs through the BetterConnect Portal.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the above form and be aware of the change for Pillar labels.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
3. Download the latest issue 3 of CEOF6708 - Operational Form – Contestable Works – Asset Label Request from the Document Library.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au

Essential Energy has recently undertaken reviews into several electrical safety related policy and procedures, Safety Brief 943 Recent Procedural updates, outlines the changes to CEOP2422 Safe Approach and CEOP2377 Equipotential and Personal Protective Bonding and is available on the Document Library and Essential Engagement/ASP.

What do you need to do?

1. Familiarise yourself with the procedural changes.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is happening?

In July 2020 Essential Energy made a 3D model of our overhead network, construction libraries and LiDAR data available to Level 3 ASPs. This information is available to access for Accredited Service Providers who are registered 3A and/or 3B employees with the NSW Department of Planning, Industry & Environment. If this is you, then you have the option to request access through Power Lines Pro – a third party an online platform for power line design.

Before access to Essential Energy’s 3D model on the Power Lines Pro platform is granted you will need to be registered for the BetterConnect Portal. Access to the BetterConect Portal is free. If you do not have access to the BetterConnect Portal please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au, requesting registration to the BetterConnect Portal.

If you are already registered for the BetterConnect Portal please complete the ‘Access Request for Power Lines Pro’ form and submit to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au. Once received your request this will be processed, and you will gain access.

Further Information

Further information on Power Lines Pro and the 3D Model can be found on Essential Engagement, under Digital Asset Management.

Visit the Power Lines Pro website - especially their support pages, for further information, FAQs, tutorials, troubleshooting and access to the community forums at: https://www.powerlinespro.freshdesk.com/support/home.

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

Background

Following recent questions, we have outlined below what Essential Energy requires to accept requests for variations to CEOM7206.04 streetlight footing designs.

Certification of variations

Prior to submitting a streetlight footing design to Essential Energy that varies from CEOM7206.04 (e.g. with alternative cage designs, depth, etc), Level 3 ASPs must ensure the design has been certified by a suitably qualified civil engineer, and provide a copy of this certification to Essential Energy as an accompanying letter. The alternative design can then be certified with the original submission.

At the time of construction, if a Level 1 ASP requests a variation to a plan certified by Essential Energy, variations will need to be resubmitted for re-certification by the Level 3 ASP. Any variations will incur the standard fees charged by Essential Energy.

Please also note that variations identified within ‘As-Built’ drawings or designs may not be accepted by Essential Energy.

Future improvements

If you have any feedback about our existing Standard/s, or suggestions for future improvement, such as potential cost reductions or efficiency gains that could be achieved without impacting quality or safety, please send them to aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au for consideration on future revisions.

What do you need to do?

Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is happening?

Essential Energy has made further improvements to Power Lines Pro to enhance the user experience for Accredited Service Providers (ASPs).

Module 4 Construction Schedules will soon go live.

The aim of the Construction Schedules enhancement is to drive efficiency by automating the construction and conductor schedule for ASPs creating and submitting designs in Power Lines Pro.

The training session will provide a demonstration including:

• Automated construction schedule
• Automated conductor schedule
• Constructions that are not yet available to be updated in the future

A How to Guide will also be provided.

To ensure that you have everything you need to utilise this enhancement, we are offering an hour-long training session:

• Session 1: Tuesday, 24 November 2020 at 1.00pm
• Session 2: Wednesday, 25 November 2020 at 1.00pm
• Session 3: Thursday, 26 November 2020 at 1.00pm

Please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au with your preferred session and we will email you the Zoom information.

Please watch the short video under Digital Asset Management to see what Module 4 Construction Schedules in Power Lines Pro can do.

An overview of the enhancement will also be provided at our Accredited Service Provider (ASP) Forums scheduled between the 4 and 10 November 2020.

What do you need to do?

1. Review the Powerline Pro demonstration video under Digital Asset Management
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.
3. Email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au with your preferred session by 20 November 2020

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

What is Happening?

To minimise the disruption to customers during the Christmas / New Year period, no planned interruptions with a customer impact will be scheduled from 19 December 2020 to 3 January 2021.  

Also Contestable Works will be closed during the same period with business resuming as normal from 4 January 2021. 

Minimal processing of emails/documentation or Asset Labels will occur from Contestable Works mailbox during the above mentioned period.

What do you need to do?

1. Review your planned interruption schedule for the dates above and work with your nominated Local Depot Switching Resource to reschedule where required.
2. Communicate this information to relevant members of your organisation.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

Essential Energy is currently experiencing an increase in the volume of low voltage connection applications. This may result in our Connection Application processing being delayed by a few days. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and will endeavour to limit this delay.

Further Information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.

As part of Essential Energy’s commitment to continuous improvement, we would like to receive your feedback on how easy you find it to do business with us.

As a key stakeholder we work with, your feedback will assist us in making sure that the capabilities and quality of our products and services are meeting your expectations now and into the future.

Over the next few weeks, a representative from Woolcott Research & Engagement may contact you to participate in a survey that will assess your satisfaction with our service and operational performance. We greatly value your input as this will help us to make improvements where there are opportunities to do so.

Further information

If you need further information, please email aspinfo@essentialenergy.com.au.