Case StudiesIndustrial Lighting Upgrade at Power Station Using Swivelpole™

Project Overview

Loy Yang B Power Station, owned by Alinta Energy, is a brown coal-fired power station in Victoria, approximately 160 km east of Melbourne, Australia. As the site is scheduled to close by 2047, a key challenge was upgrading the station’s lighting infrastructure to energy-efficient LEDs without the extensive costs and safety risks associated with traditional methods.

Challenges

The power station presented several hurdles:

• A multi-level site where ladders cannot be used in some areas.
• Existing light poles were rigidly fixed to guardrail stanchions, requiring costly and time-consuming equipment such as scaffolding, scissor lifts, and boom lifts for access.
• Risks associated with working at heights, such as falls, compounded safety challenges.

Solution

The team deployed Swivelpole’s Maxis™ joint and Pole Conversion Tool Kits (PCTKs) to retrofit existing rigid poles into innovative lowering poles. The Swivelpole™ solution allowed maintenance teams to lower poles to a safe and ergonomic standing working height, eliminating the need for elevated work platforms or fall-arrest equipment.

Over three years, the team successfully converted 1,200 rigid poles to Swivelpoles while upgrading light fixtures to LEDs. Two contractors will complete conversion of the remaining 1,000 poles at a rate of seven poles per day.

Results

• Cost Efficiency: The conversion and lighting upgrade saved significant costs on equipment rental and labour.
• Safety: Reduced risks by eliminating the need for working at heights.
• Future-proofing: Lowering poles will simplify future maintenance or replacement of light fixtures as some lights will need to be replaced at some stage before closure