Archived News for Engineering Professionals - February, 2012

The Australian Green Infrastructure Council has launched the nation’s first national scheme for rating infrastructure sustainability. The rating system has been developed co-operatively with many of the AGIC’s membership organisations.

The former chief executive officer of Leighton Holdings Limited, David Stewart, has accepted the role of chair of Engineering Sydney, the University of Sydney's industry-aligned body that collaborates and develops partnerships with business leaders and organisations.

David Stewart a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Engineering, both from the University of Sydney, is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers, a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) and a Member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Mr Stewart said he believes education, innovation and research are keys to the future success of Australian engineering.

"There are many benefits of an educational partnership for industry, through access to top-quality graduates, academic expertise and world leading research. A partnership is a great way to enhance recruitment, training and research endeavours.

"Educational institutions are at the forefront of research and development. Industry should work in collaboration with institutions to progress innovation in a cost-effective and timely manner.

"The creation of the University's two new project management degrees is a great example. Developed in close consultation with industry, these degrees now provide a solution for the growing skills gap in the project management space."

The Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics (BREE) has released its latest report,  Energy in Australia 2012, providing a detailed overview of energy in Australia, including resources, production, consumption, trade and prices.

The contract to design and construct the $133.9 million second stage of the Bunbury Port Access Road has been awarded to South West-based contractor Fulton Hogan.

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, has announced that regulations to establish the Jobs and Competitiveness Program under the Clean Energy Act 2011 are now in place.

A three-year research collaboration between Swinburne University of Technology, Jaypee University of Information Technology (JUIT) in India and the Melbourne-based Co-operative Research Centre for Advanced Automotive Technology (AutoCRC) will consider the social and technological barriers and challenges to consumer uptake of alternative energy transport in India.

A survey of 400 Perth metropolitan homes has found that many Perth houses are not energy efficient and building regulations don't encourage home builders to change.

La Trobe University has entered a joint R&D agreement with Indian electric vehicle manufacturer Mahindra Reva, one of the first companies to introduce electric vehicles.

Under the agreement, an advanced energy management system will be developed and trialled by Mahindra Reva at its new electric vehicle plant in Bangalore.

The plant’s power supply includes solar panels with a back-up diesel generator, which the company would eventually like to replace by ‘harvesting’ energy from hundreds of company and employees cars in their car park. 

The project is based on technology developed by La Trobe’s Centre for Technology Infusion and trialled in buildings on the Melbourne campus since 2008.

The La Trobe system is already used for domestic applications following its successful installation by the University, CSIRO and commercial builders in Australia’s first Zero Emission House last year.

Among other features, it enables electric vehicles to be plugged into the home grid, drawing down car battery power, for example during the evening peak, and then, overnight when power is cheaper, recharging the car’s battery for the morning.

Construction has begun  on the $42 million Black Rock Recycled Water Plant, which aims to improve water security for the Victorian surf coast growth corridor.

The new infrastructure will recycle and treat water that would otherwise be discharged into Bass Strait, producing high-quality recycled water to support new residential developments and expanding areas of the surf coast growth corridor, such as Armstrong Creek and north Torquay.

It is expected to save up to three billion litres of water each year and reduce the need for drinking water to be used to water gardens, flush toilets or irrigate sports fields. The plant will have capacity to produce enough recycled water to offset the volume of drinking water currently used for irrigation in the area by up to ten percent.

The plant will be constructed beside the Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant that currently produces a 'C Class' quality of water.

It will produce  'A Class' quality recycled water for new developments such as Armstrong Creek, where 22,000 homes will have access to recycled water to flush toilets and irrigate household gardens and public open spaces.

The Australian Government has invested $10 million in the project through the Water for the Future initiative under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns program. This funding is in addition to $10 million to assist in the construction of a pipeline to transport recycled water to developments in the Torquay growth corridor.

Under the National Water Security Plan for Cities and Towns program the Australian Government has committed more than $250 million to fund practical projects that save water in cities and towns across the country.

The Western Australian Government has launched a new initiative to promote the use of WA engineering and design capability by offshore energy projects.

Rio Tinto is pushing ahead with its Mine of the Future innovation program, with plans for the development and testing of new technologies in underground tunnelling and mineral recovery.

Leighton Contractors has won the contract by Bechtel to construct the $84 million Australian Pacific LNG 2600-bed temporary workers accommodation village at Curtis Island.

A joint venture (JV) between construction giant Theiss and EV LNG Australia (EVT) has been awarded the $500 million contract to construct LNG storage and condensate tanks for the Chevron-operated Wheatstone LNG project in Western Australia.

Victoria’s M80 ring road will be upgraded with smart technology that will assist in preventing congestion and giving motorists up to date information after the Federal Government awarded a key contract to Visionstream Australia.

Mining and materials group, OneSteel Limited has announced a statutory net loss after tax of $74 million for the six months ended 31 December 2011, compared to the statutory net profit after tax for the prior corresponding half of $116 million.

The South Australian Government has provided funding to four South Australian companies to support the development of  innovative  ideas on how to reduce and reuse waste.

Dr Trevor Bird has been awarded the 2012 M A Sargent Medal, jointly awarded by the Electrical and ITEE Colleges of Engineers Australia.

The medal is awarded in honour of Dr Michael Anthony Sargent, an outstanding Australian electrical engineer and past president of Engineers Australia, recognise a highly significant contribution to the science or practice of electrical engineering.

This year’s medal recognises Dr Bird’s expertise is in antennas and microwave systems for satellite communications as well as wireless and radio telescope systems. He holds several patents in this area and has won a number of awards along the way.

Last year Dr Bird received a lifetime achievement medal from the CSIRO, coinciding with his retirement from the position of chief scientist at the CSIRO ICT Centre. He is currently an adjunct professor at Macquarie University, Sydney.

The Electrical College has also announced Dr Robert Barr as the 2012 Professional Electrical Engineer of the Year. Barr operates his own consulting company Electric Power Consulting, which offers specialised electrical services to distribution and transmission companies across Australia and overseas and other large electric energy users. He is also an experienced energy auditor.

He is currently the national president of the Electric Energy Society of Australia, which is a technical society of Engineers Australia.

Both awards will be presented at the Electrical College's annual national awards dinner function, to be held in Sydney on Friday 1 June.

The Victorian Government has announced a record amount of planning and development activity in the state, with the highest annual number of permit decisions valued at $23.2 billion announced in 2010-11, representing a 29.4 per cent increase on the previous year.

The Federal Government has launched two new programs with funding of  $1 billion for manufacturers to improve energy efficiency and reduce pollution.

The Northern Territory Government has announced the signing of a $104 million contract to build and operate a new oil and gas Marine supply Base at East Arm.