South Australia Bioenergy Plant – HV/LV Earth Grid & EPR Design Sector: Renewable Energy / Bioenergy

Client

Bioenergy Operator

Location

South Australia

Sector

HV/LV Earth Grid, EPR Assessment, Personnel Safety

Latest Projects

Project Overview

GridServe delivered a comprehensive earthing system design for the Salisbury Bioenergy Plant, a utility-scale anaerobic digestion facility. The project focused on managing Earth Potential Rise (EPR) and ensuring personnel safety across a complex site featuring high-voltage infrastructure, large-scale concrete digestion tanks, and intricate gas processing skids.

Key Project Scope & Deliverables

  • Infrastructure Hazard Analysis: Conducted BYDA searches to identify third-party assets and reviewed 11kV fault levels, clearing times, and soil resistivity surveys.
  • HV Earth Grid Engineering: Designed a local earthing network for the site’s HV switchboard, transformers, and auxiliary equipment, optimizing conductor size and orientation for a low-impedance path.
  • EPR & Safety Modelling: Calculated the Earth Potential Rise (EPR) and overall system impedance. Rigorous modelling evaluated step and touch voltage hazards within the plant and safe contour distances for nearby metallic infrastructure.
  • Asset-Specific Earthing: Developed specialized earthing for core infrastructure, including the Anaerobic Digesters, Hydrolysis Tanks, and Gas Upgrading Skids.
  • Compliance Documentation: Produced a detailed Earth Grid Design Report and technical drawings (General Arrangements/SLDs) to demonstrate full compliance with South Australian utility and national safety standards.

Key Challenges

  • Complex Soil Resistivity: Navigating the specific soil profiles of the Edinburgh region to achieve target earth resistance and accurate EPR modelling.
  • High-Density Infrastructure: Coordinating a buried earth grid within a footprint containing significant underground services, digestion tank foundations, and gas processing pipelines.
  • Proximity to Third-Party Assets: Managing the zone of influence of the Earth Potential Rise to ensure no hazardous voltage transfer to neighbouring industrial metallic fences or telecommunications networks.

Technical Standards Followed

  • AS 2067: Substations and high voltage installations exceeding 1kV AC.
  • ENA EG0 / EG1: Power System Earthing Guides.
  • AS/NZS 4853 / 3835: Low frequency interference and EPR hazard mitigation.
  • IEEE 80: Guide for Safety in AC Substation Earthing.

Written by

<div class="elementor-element elementor-element-0c15f3f elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor" data-id="0c15f3f" data-element_type="widget" data-e-type="widget" data-widget_type="text-editor.default"> <p class="team-bio">Anil Chaudhary is an experienced electrical engineer and energy infrastructure professional with extensive expertise in power systems, renewable energy, and battery energy storage systems. He combines strong technical capability with strategic leadership, having worked with major Australian utilities and infrastructure organisations across the design, engineering, and delivery of critical energy and telecommunications projects.</p><p class="team-bio">Anil has held senior leadership roles including General Manager at RSS CommTel, leading major infrastructure programs and operational teams. At GridServe, he leads engineering strategy, project delivery, and client partnerships.</p><div class="team-section-label">Key expertise</div><ul class="expertise-list"><li>Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)</li><li>Solar PV integration</li><li>Power system studies</li><li>Earthing system design</li><li>Lightning protection design</li><li>Grid compliance assessments</li><li>Engineering strategy & project delivery</li></ul> </div><h3 class="elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default">Past organisations </h3><div class="bio-bottom-list elementor-element elementor-element-d87ceed elementor-icon-list--layout-inline elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list" data-id="d87ceed" data-element_type="widget" data-e-type="widget" data-widget_type="icon-list.default"> <ul class="elementor-icon-list-items elementor-inline-items"> <li class="elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item"> <span class="elementor-icon-list-text">Power & Water Corporation</span> </li> <li class="elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item"> <span class="elementor-icon-list-text">AusNet Services</span> </li> <li class="elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item"> <span class="elementor-icon-list-text">Ausgrid</span> </li> <li class="elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item"> <span class="elementor-icon-list-text">Telstra</span> </li> <li class="elementor-icon-list-item elementor-inline-item"> <span class="elementor-icon-list-text">RSS CommTel</span> </li> </ul> </div>

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