A summary of recent media releases appears below;
Matt Shorten, Managing Director of Balance Carbon, has a message for business: establish and implement an emissions management strategy now or pay spiralling costs in the decades to come. In short, he says, businesses can no longer afford to hesitate in creating changes to meet the increasing pressures associated with an imminent carbon price across the Australian economy.
In addition, Australia’s export markets are increasingly focussing on emissions and are already applying pressure to make our exporters accountable for the emissions resulting from the production and transport of their products.
In essence, Mr Shorten said the emissions market is coming at Australian business in two directions – from domestic and foreign customers of our goods and services imposing their carbon reduction commitments and from the Federal Government’s commitment to a carbon price in our economy through an ETS scheme or similar.
No matter where the pressure comes from Mr Shorten predicts carbon costs will likely spiral dramatically upwards.
“If you consider that the current debated cost per tonne of CO2 under the first year of an Australian ETS is $10, you can expect that will double and potentially triple by even 2015.
“It’s these kinds of figures that start to drive a company toward energy and resource efficiency.”
Mr Shorten’s powerful take on the industry of carbon emissions management will be presented today in a series of symposiums in Brisbane on the energy industry being conducted by the Norfolk Group of engineering companies. Norfolk includes engineering brands such as O’Donnell Griffin and Haden. Senator Santo Santoro will be hosting the event on behalf of the Norfolk Group, his industry knowledge and exposure unparalleled in the Queensland sector.
The symposiums will then roll out nationally, in June in Melbourne, in July in Adelaide and will be presented at a number of important conferences, including Sydney’s ARBS Conference from 12-14 April.
As Mr Shorten points out, a whole range of companies, those producing 125 kilo tonnes CO2 within a fixed financial year, already face mandatory reporting and disclosure, under the Federal Government’s 2007 NGER Act. In the financial year of 2009-2010, that legislation’s threshold (above which a company must disclose its emissions) falls to 87.5 tonnes, the following year of 2010-2011 to 50 tonnes.
“So you can see that the net of companies that must report gets wider from a legislative perspective,” he says.
But the good business of managers creating systems to measure, manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions is not just about direct financial cost per tonne nor about avoiding legislative penalties: “In many industries, where other countries have emission reduction commitments already in place, to maintain market access, an Australian company can simply no longer ignore it.
“Overseas competitors are finding it a useful way to block imports, so Australian businesses and industries in that position of needing to keep their way in, simply have to have an emissions figure and various management commitments sorted out.” Mr Shorten, whose company BalanceCarbon, provides carbon management consultancy to business, cites the agribusiness sector including wine, fishery and even textile industries as prime candidates in this arena.
“We have one client who has been approached by Armani and Marks & Spencer who want the top quality Australian wool but will only purchase it with an emissions offset price that covers the raising of the sheep, the shearing, super washing, spinning, dyeing, and freighting. Supply chains are now asking companies to supply that offset figure.
“And in terms of carbon labelling, the UK company Tesco, for example, is beginning to require product suppliers to label their products, so a packet of chips for example will tell you how many grams CO2 there are per gram of product. This gives consumers the opportunity to make an informed decision.”
In tomorrow’s symposium, key speakers include O’Donnell Griffin QLD State Manager, Mr Greg Skyring, O’Donnell Griffin HSEC Manager Mr Michael Wright, speaking on the need to prepare for this change within the engineering sector, and a presentation by eminent energy conservation speaker, Mr Kim Finnimore, of the Energy Conservation Systems company.
“The symposiums will run regularly throughout 2010,” says Mr Frank Halman, convenor of the series and O’Donnell Griffin’s National Service Business Development Manager.
“As Matt quotes in his presentation, a manager doesn’t have the luxury any more of querying the reality of climate change. The market has already decided it’s real and companies must adapt.”
“A big part of the process is understanding what the market drivers are,” said Mr Shorten. “Yes, there are some pretty big risks but there’s also some pretty significant opportunities in a carbon-constrained environment.”
Engineering company O’Donnell Griffin’s commitment to apprenticeships and the strengthening of its national training programs has received recognition in a round of five recent industry awards.
Mr David Rafter, CEO of Norfolk Electrical & Communications, of which O’Donnell Griffin is a subsidiary, said O’Donnell Griffin had won five State and National Apprentice of the Year awards in the past year.
Victorian-based O’Donnell Griffin fourth year apprentice Tim Vining was awarded the state National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) award for Apprentice of the Year in the Industrial category.
Tim, 23, who has now just completed his four-year systems electrician apprenticeship, was placed second in the 2009 NECA Apprentice of the Year national awards.
Queensland apprentice Anthony Jupp was awarded the 2009 Electrical and Communications Association’ (ECA) 2009 Apprentice of the Year award.
Vining and Jupp were just three of the 107 apprentices directly employed last year in apprenticeships at O’Donnell Griffin. The national figure comprises 19 first year apprentices, 22 second year apprentices, 28 third year apprentices and 38 fourth year apprentices. In 2010 there will be another uptake of new apprentices at the company, starting in January.
O’Donnell Griffin also received awards for apprentices employed through its group training program. In South Australia, O’Donnell Griffin group training electrical trades apprentice Ryan Coats (with ODG as host employer for Peer Veet) was named Apprentice of the Year at the 2009 Training Awards, and was also a runner-up in NECA’s State awards in the Commercial Category.
Also hosted from Peer Veet by another Norfolk subsidiary, Diverse Data Communications, SA-based fourth year apprentice Amanda Hewison was awarded NECA’s South Australia State Award for Apprentice of the Year, in the Industrial/Automation Communications category. She was subsequently awarded third place nationally in this category.
“The calibre of our apprentices is shown in these awards,” said Mr Rafter. “In Tim Vining’s case, as an example, he came into the Victorian O’Donnell Griffin program after transferring from a construction management degree and scored extremely highly on his NECA pre-selection score. His continued hard work, including the additional load of being examined and presenting for these awards, has been outstanding”.
Mr Rafter said the Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show that a worrying fall in apprenticeship numbers continues.
The ABS found the number of apprentices employed between May 2008 and May 2009 falling from 188,700 to 163,000 while the number of people who applied for an apprenticeship/traineeship increased from 26,900 to 41,200 in the same period.
Mr Rafter said that for over 100 years O’Donnell Griffin had demonstrated a great commitment to apprentice programs that would continue into the future.
”Supporting the skilling of young, enthusiastic candidates is even more important now with the pressure on resources on one hand and the growing business of O’Donnell Griffin on the other.”
Engineering company O’Donnell Griffin has just completed installing the supplementary power supply for the new $25 million Sydney Harbour YHA hostel and archaeological centre in central Sydney.
The FG Wilson 250kVA bi-fuel power supply generator, which runs on a mix of diesel and natural gas, will run for 2-4 hours a day at the hostel and will contribute to a cut in harmful generation emissions and energy costs. The generator will also be a critical safeguard for the YHA operation as it will offer essential backup power during power outages.
This is especially important given the proven vulnerability of Sydney’s electrical supply which has experienced a number of serious blackouts in the past year.
O’Donnell Griffin installed the state of the art generators subject to a range of heritage considerations at the site in the historic harbourside suburb of The Rocks, 2.8 kilometres north of Sydney’s city centre.
The FG Wilson bi-fuel generating sets use a mixture of natural gas (70 per cent) and diesel (30 per cent), resulting in cleaner emissions, and lower maintenance and operating costs.
According to O’Donnell Griffin’s Project Manager Power Generation NSW & ACT, Mr Chris Coote, the bi-fuel sets offered diesel genset power ratings; quick starting; diesel load acceptance/rejection; smaller space requirements per kVA, and a lower weight compared to alternatives.
The new Sydney Harbour YHA 106-bedroom complex, with stunning five-star Sydney Harbour vistas sweeping from the Harbour Bridge to Circular Quay, also comprises The Big Dig Archaeology Centre situated on the site of Australia’s first European settlement.
The site contains colonial structural remains dating from 1795 onwards, including houses, pubs and laneways, and more than 750,000 artefacts have been found since digs began in 1994.
To protect the site and to maintain visual and physical access to the site’s archaeology, the YHA has been constructed in lightweight materials of steel and timber, elevated on pillars above the ‘Dig Site’ (110 Cumberland Street, The Rocks). During construction, the site was covered in a layer of scaffolding to protect the precious remnants.
YHA went through a strenuous proposal and planning process with The Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority, which is responsible for the site, to attain approval for the development of the sensitive heritage location.
According to Mr Coote, YHA’s decision to contract ODG was due partly to its respect for the quality workmanship and reporting standards of the engineering firm.
“ODG offered the best cost-effective and environmentally friendly solution for this site against its competitors,” he said.
“To optimise the genset for maximum fuel efficiency and minimum emissions a 200 kW auto load shedding load bank is located on the roof of the YHA building.
“The amount of diesel fuel that could be stored at the site was a major consideration for the client and consultants and as a dedicated gas set was above the budget, ODG offered a cost effective alternative.”
The project is also an ODG first in breaking new ground in supplying, installing, commissioning and maintaining this type of genset in Australia, he said.
11 December 2009
Norfolk Group Limited (ASX: NFK) subsidiary, O’Donnell Griffin (ODG), announces the appointments of Steve Crisp as Estimating Manager – Western Australia, and Belinda Leyland as Contracts Manager – Western Australia.
Mr Crisp, who has over thirty-eight years experience in the electrical industry, returns to ODG following fifteen years working in estimating roles at Downer EDI Engineering WA. Before this, he had worked as an estimator at ODG for two years, and then previously another two years as an ODG electrical mechanic, including installation and maintenance works which followed Cyclone Tracy. In his most recent role, he managed a team of seven estimating staff.
According to WA State Manager for O’Donnell Griffin, Blair Smith, “Steve’s appointment reflects the importance for ODG in maintaining a first class team to capitalise on its current unprecedented growth. Steve has over thirty years’ experience in the resources sector in Western Australia and is widely respected throughout the industry.”
Mrs Leyland comes to ODG as Contracts Manager from a contract specialist role at Iluka Resources where she worked in the challenging environment of the global mineral sands sector. She is also distinct in the industry for being an electrical engineer with legal qualifications. Belinda began her legal studies during nine years in the Royal Australian Navy which included the awarding of the Navy ‘Charge Qualification’ in recognition of her managerial skills.
“Belinda brings a wealth of experience in the commercial/contracting arena from the resources sector through to defence for both the client and contractor. She is a welcomed addition to the Senior Management team at ODG.”
Mr Crisp and Mrs Leyland commence their new roles immediately.
21 November 2009
By Francis Dwornik, Rail Engineering Director, ODG Rail
After decades of neglect the national rail infrastructure is now about to be the recipient of $4.5 billion of funding from the Federal Government.
This money will be spent on direct heavy and light rail investment as well as studies that will lead to many more billions of dollars being invested in metropolitan rail upgrades in Victoria, New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia.
The showpiece rail infrastructure spend from the last Federal Budget is a $3.225 billion contribution to the Regional Rail Express from Werribee to the Melbourne CBD.
This was followed last month by a scoping study for a $4.5 billion rail line from Footscray to Parkville and possibly the Melbourne CBD. At the same time the Federal Government is funding the investigation of Melbourne’s East West Rail Tunnel and an inner city rail system in Brisbane.
Even a rail line from Melbourne to Brisbane is also under consideration that would be one of the biggest investments in Australian rail history.
And while it isn’t being discussed at the moment a Very Fast Train is also something that be kept in consideration for Australia as they are now being rolled out across all developed (and some less developed) economies of the world.
While these projects are predominantly passenger services, there is a huge investment required to bring the freight rail network up to standards as well.
This recent National Transport Commission’s report predicts Australian rail freight volumes could double by 2030 but recognises productivity as a major impediment to its growth.
A major source of this frustration is the sharing of lines by passenger and freight trains.
Line separation needs to be undertaken on a national scale to ensure passenger and rail freight are not condemning these billions to creating further bottlenecks.
As was noted by the Productivity Commission’s separate report, released mid-2009, Australia’s economic performance is closely linked to the efficiency of its transport sector, due to the long distances between population and production centres.
It also observed that Australia’s rail network alone presently is overseen by seven state and territory regulators, with different access costs and safety laws applicable in each state. This is significant given the high percentage of rail freight movements (80 per cent on a tonne-kilometres travelled basis) that are interstate, due to the movement required of commodities such as coal.
The PC report acknowledged that while the Government has tried to create a defined interstate rail network run by the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) body, a major issue remains in inconsistent state-by-state approaches to safety regulation with rail operators requiring multiple accreditations to cross borders. There are also overlaps between rail safety and OHS legislation.
In a survey by the Australasian Railway Association (ARA) members estimated that the direct cost of complying to duplication and overlaps in rail safety regulation was costing $42 million to the whole industry.
This new, separate review by the NTC focuses on productivity, with a call for better track speeds, faster transit times, higher axle weights and improved service and flexibility. For one, it recommends open access regulation for key rail terminals, and pricing reform so that truck charges do not unfairly disadvantage rail.
Rail has massive advantages for passenger and freight transportation including vital reductions in green house gases produced by the dominant motor vehicle alternatives that now dominate our cities and freeways.
Now that the Federal Government has stepped in to kickstart much of this spending it also needs to take control and centralise it through a single authority to ensure it is securely and responsibly coordinated – we don’t went to end up with a 20th century version of the rail gauge fiasco of the 19th century that took 100 years to resolve.
The billions that are being spent, and the billions more required, will be a testament to the long term planning required to make Australia a greener country in the decades ahead.
O’Donnell Griffin is part of the Electrical & Communications division of Norfolk, an ASX listed company.
18 November 2009
Electrical engineering group O’Donnell Griffin (ODG), part of Norfolk Group Ltd (ASX: NFK), has been awarded a $96.5 million rail signalling contract for work on BHP Billiton’s Rapid Growth Project 5.
This brings ODG’s total contracts for Electrical & Rail-related works on the development to more than $149 million since November 2002, demonstrating its long-term relationship with BHP Billiton Iron Ore and underlining the robust operational strength and growth of its ODG Rail division.
The Rail contract is expected to run until the end of calendar year 2010. It is focussed on the expansion of the current signalling installation to improve transit times from mine to port.
David Howe, General Manager of O’Donnell Griffin Rail, said, “We are pleased to be involved with RGP5, given its importance to the ongoing mining focus in WA and further enhances our reputation in the North West to deliver challenging and complex turn-key solutions projects
“The contract for each phase has also been won in very difficult and competitive contracting environments and is due to a recognized ability of ODG Rail to deliver what it says it will.
“We value this contract highly and look forward to further enhancing the strong working relationship built over the past two decades.”
O’Donnell Griffin Rail’s expansion in the North West and nationally, is timely given the expected investment and long-term development of the infrastructure sector in Australia and overseas.
This contract award follows other significant rail contract wins, including the $1 billion Novo Rail Railcorp Program Alliance (NSW) and the ONTRACK electrification upgrade project in Wellington (NZ).
18 October 2009
The ongoing business opportunities of electrical engineering group O’Donnell Griffin (ODG), part of Norfolk Group Ltd (ASX: NFK), has seen it strengthen its already active recruitment drive offshore.
“Business opportunities at the moment are extensive in rail and resources,” said O’Donnell Griffin Rail General Manager Mr Dave Howe, who is this month conducting interviews in the rail engineering sector in the UK.
Mr Howe said that the increasing squeeze on skilled workers in the engineering, electrical and rail industries is already a major issue for companies who are part of Australia’s national infrastructure rollout, whether projects are funded by Federal or State governments, or in conjunction with private parties.
ODG Rail was recently awarded $96.5 million for BHP Billiton’s RGP5 works in Western Australia’s Pilbara, bringing ODG’s total contracts for electrical and rail-related works on this development to more than $149 million since November 2002.
It is also an alliance partner in the $1 billion Novo Rail alliance urban rail upgrade in Sydney, winning Australia’s largest rail signalling contract.
O’Donnell Griffin Rail is the specialised rail division of O’Donnell Griffin, a 100 year old plus company who has worked on many major infrastructure projects and is presently expanding in the mine-to-market sector
Positions Mr Howe is seeking to have filled in the UK are predominantly in High Voltage distribution, OHLE and Signalling.
“We are now having to recruit overseas simply because of the shortage in skilled resources here in Australia to meet the demands of the works that are planned to be undertaken or currently being worked on,” he said.
“And the resources market is going to continue to get more and more restricted, with new major mining and LNG projects coming on, heading into the start of 2010.”
Mr Howe said this was the result of many years of minimal training being undertaken in Australia, and was also due to the obvious changes caused by outsourcing. Traditionally, local, state and federally run maintenance and operations departments were the ‘breeding grounds’ of industry specialists in previous decades, and were influential in maintaining the networks around Australia.
Mr Howe said ODG Rail is planning to recruit a number of staff in the UK recruitment drive, who would be expected to start work with in Australia in a staged program over the next 3 – 9 months dependent on availability and visa application approval requirements. The company has engaged a UK-based recruitment specialist to run the campaign which has seen a shortlisting of some 35 professional candidates.
ODG’s Divisional Human Resources Manager, Mr Craig Golds, along with his specialist HR team who assisted Mr Howe in putting together the international strategy, said “this international approach is consistent with the need to generally grow our rail skill base both internally and externally. The mix of specialist rail people coming into the wider ODG team will also further assist in helping to mentor the latest group of talented graduates from our specialist rail graduate program. This program originated in Victoria but we recently launched it nationally and see it as one of the cornerstones of growing our talent bank within the rail sector.”
Mr Howe said that O’Donnell Griffin was also highly respected in the mine-to-market sector for its focus on the critical issues and exemplary work safety record.
5 October 2009
The ongoing delivery record of electrical engineering group O’Donnell Griffin (ODG), part of Norfolk Group Ltd (ASX: NFK), has seen it consolidate its presence nationally as a strong mine-to-market player, according to ODG WA State Manager, Blair Smith.
Its most recent contract win, the just awarded $96.5 million for BHP Billiton’s RGP5 works in the Pilbara, brings ODG’s total contracts for electrical and rail-related works on this development to more than $149 million since November 2002.
“This demonstrates our long-term continuous relationship with BHP Billiton and underlines the robust operational strength and growth of our Rail division,” said Mr Smith.
Mr Smith said the combination of reliable award-winning skills across different sectors in the mine-to-market sphere and the recruitment of expert managers had seen ODG continue to deliver its contractual promises.
The RGP5 works will increase heavy haul railroad loads on the Port Hedland to Newman line, which increases demand on the capacity and capability of the existing rail network. To cope with this expansion, a second track is being laid and ODG will design, install, test and commission the new signalling. The work is located along BHP Billiton Iron Ore’s main railroad which runs south for 426 kilometres.
ODG’s capabilities in design and planning, construction, signaling and electrical sectors are also reflected in its long-term contract at the $1.2 billion Dalrymple Bay Coal Terminal Redevelopment near Mackay in Queensland. The company has carried out more than $36 million of works here, involving the development’s major electrical upgrade and onshore and offshore conveyor systems related to its new 3.8 kilometre jetty, undertaken to address ongoing backlogs in the outloading of the region’s coal production.
Due to this, the ODG contracts demanded that stringent time and budget targets be met, while keeping the coal terminal running at near-full capacity, with careful planning for shutdowns and changeovers.
Other related mine-to-market works for O’Donnell Griffin nationally include:
The successfully completed OzMin Prominent Hill mine project in South Australia, delivering some $10 million in revenue at a gross margin of over 18per cent (originally contracted to Oxiana, now merged with Zinifex). ODG SA has recently won this year’s NECA SA Industrial Award for its part in this project.
This came on the back of another NECA SA Industrial Award winning project last year for ODG SA’s part in the electrical services requirement for the Mindarie Mineral Sands Mine project. ODG ‘s $2.3 million works here involved the entire electrical installation work for the mining process plant. (The Mindarie Mineral Sands project utilises a mining method that is the first of its kind in the State and a number of separate sections have been designed to move along the ore body as the mine advances.)
The securing of the $4.1 million rail signaling and communications services contract for the rail extension required to take coal from the main line to a new 30 Mtpa coal ship-loader facility on Kooragang Island in Newcastle’s Port Waratah on a location to the west of the existing 95Mtpa facility.
Miscellaneous works contract at the Bowen Basin in central Queensland for BHP Billiton Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), Australia’s largest coal miner and exporter, and according to its website, the largest supplier to the seaborne coking coal market. This recurring revenue contract is worth $5-6 million per annum and comes on top of contracts for the Lead Zinc upgrade and MIT Switchyard.
Mr Smith said that O’Donnell Griffin was also highly respected in the mine-to-market sector for its focus on the critical issue and record of worker safety. So much so that the ODG RGP4 project team recently received a letter of commendation from John Eddy, H&S Superintendent RGP4 Newman Hub Project, singling out ODG’s safety performance on the project as ‘one of the outstanding achievements for this site’ and going on to acknowledge that ‘ODG achieved the highest quarterly safety audit score and consistently met targets for inspections, behaviour-based observations and hazard reporting’.
ODG Project Manager for RGP4, David Hargreaves said: “The nature of a Rail Signalling Infrastructure installation demands a zero harm culture with regards to Safety and the Environment. It is a process that has been fostered in our Rail business for the past 5 years and which is regularly audited by our clients - in particular BHP Billiton Iron Ore during the RGP projects.”
ODG has also been very proactive in addressing the significant skills shortage, especially in graduate engineering roles, that has been facing the industry with its own Rail Engineering Graduate university program and an offshore recruitment drive.
14 September 2009
Electrical engineering company O’Donnell Griffin has been appointed to undertake the $19.4 million “backbone” electrical works at Canberra Airport.
The initial $11 million phase is for electrical systems associated with the airport’s new multi-user terminal.
The contract involves installing the power, lighting and data communications in both the retail and passenger areas of the terminal, says O’Donnell Griffin NSW State Manager, Mr Phil Tilden. The works will take about 18 months.
“It’s really about providing the electrical backbone for the new terminal,” he said.
The new terminal is part of Canberra Airport’s “AirVolution” redevelopment program which involves a total investment of $350 million.
The ODG works follow other projects for Construction Control at the airport, including nearly completed $1.2 million of electrical services at its new four-storey, covered carpark.
The new car park, an apron hardstand to park more jets and its Southern Concourse Terminal will be completed by the middle of 2010. The remaining works, including a new Western Concourse Terminal are expected to be completed in 2012 subject to planning and other approvals.
The Southern Concourse Terminal will incorporate tri-generation technology which generates electricity on site and uses waste heat from air conditioning for heating. Low energy fittings are also to be used, said Mr Tilden.
O’Donnell Griffin has worked on a number of other landmark Canberra projects with Construction Control, including Defence facilities and the Australian National University.
A substantial upgrade of ageing electrical systems at Warragamba Dam, Sydney’s main water supply reservoir, has just been successfully completed by electrical engineering company O’Donnell Griffin.
The $23 million electrical facelift involved an overhaul of the 49-year-old dam’s systems and was based on upgrading health and safety systems for dam works, says O’Donnell Griffin NSW State Manager, Mr Phil Tilden.
The work entailed replacement of all the lighting in the galleys to give minimum 80 lux levels at all points, installation of a new radio phone communications system, new switchboards and MCC panels cabling and support structure system.
More than 25 ODG electricians were involved in the two year project which involved the replacement of some 294 light switches, 155 general power outlets, 1030 fluorescent light fittings and a total of 170 kilometres of cabling, he said. The works also included the installation of a sophisticated wireless telephone system using the Kirk 3000 technology so that employees can communicate throughout the site, including when working in underwater tunnels.
O’Donnell Griffin is also about to commence a separate $3.0 million contract to refurbish the electrical system of the dam’s original radial and drum gates, which are opened when excessive spill is required, such as in the case of floods, says Mr Tilden.
Warragamba Dam, 65 kilometres west of Sydney, is the city’s primary water source and provides 80 per cent of the Sydney water supply. It is due to celebrate its 50th anniversary in late 2010 and was initiated in 1948 as a response to a series of severe droughts. Its building took 12 years.
The ODG works at Warragamba are part of a growing folio of water-related contracts for the company.
10 September 2009
Consumers should not be concerned about the fluctuating market price of RECs (Renewable Energy Certificates) when considering buying a solar electrical system – but they do need to watch the fine print, said ODG National Services Manager Mr Andrew Cross.
Mr Cross was responding to the Federal Government announcement today that the RECs scheme is available from today for Australians installing rooftop solar panels, and is to be backdated to 9 June when the last rebate scheme closed.
Solar Credits were part of the Renewable Energy Target (RET) legislation, passed by the Parliament on 20 August, said Climate Change Minister, Senator Penny Wong, Under the RET, electricity retailers are required to purchase Renewable Energy Certificates, known as RECs.
This is good news for ODG, as one of the premier national installers for Origin Energy solar rooftop panels, as it now opens the subsidy support door to $100,000+ p.a. households, who can potentially secure between $4000 and $6000 for their solar panel installations, depending on location and unit Kw size, said Mr Cross.
As Mr Cross points out: “Whilst the subsidy incentive for a household earning less than $100k a year isn’t quite as high as it was through the old means-tested system, what this new legislation has done is made solar a much more attractive choice for those households bringing in more than $100k in a year, and we’re expecting a rush of orders once this message has filtered through to the public.”
In Senator Wong’s statement, she said that through Solar Credits, households installing rooftop solar panels can receive five times as many RECs for each megawatt-hour of solar energy produced by their solar panels. For example, based on a REC price of $40, a 1.5 kilowatt solar panel system installed in Sydney would receive $6200. Based on a REC price of $50, the same system would receive $7750. “Solar Credits will significantly reduce the cost of going solar at home,’’ Senator Wong said.
“Although the price of RECs will rise and fall in line with market demand reputable solar companies will provide a fixed price at the time of purchase. Major companies such as Origin Energy are actually guaranteeing the price of their systems on the day of purchase,” said Mr Cross.
Mr Cross said although consumers had the option to keep the RECs instead of taking them in the form of the scheme’s subsidy it was a complex process and major companies were better suited to trading in large numbers on the exchanges.
“Consumers don’t need to watching the market price for the right opportunity to buy to receive the maximum discount if the price is locked in with your supplier when you purchase,” he said.
“In other words watch the small print to ensure that the price paid does not vary in line with the market value of RECs” Mr Cross said.
He said the major electrical retailing companies had a huge appetite for RECs due to the recent legislation requiring 20% of energy to be generated from renewables by 2020.
“Smaller companies may collect the RECs and trade them but they then become very exposed to market fluctuations that could have a detrimental impact on their business and the ability to deliver,” Mr Cross said.
He said the price paid for the RECs is determined at the time of the completed installation if the price was not guaranteed.
“For post September 1st orders, not those ordered before the previous scheme was withdrawn, there could be a risk that consumers are exposed to the market fluctuations and are not aware of it.” Mr Cross said.
Mr Cross said it also may take some time for consumers to adjust to the fact that the subsidies – although now available to everyone, regardless of household income – had fallen from $80000 to around $4000.-$6000
ODG is currently the national installer for Solar Panels for Origin Energy.
11 July 2009
A technological upgrade for the Viridian glass coating plant in Dandenong has been recognised at the National Electrical and Communications Association (NECA) Victoria Excellence Awards announced in Melbourne on 10 July. Electrical contractor O’Donnell Griffin won the Industrial Award for its electrical installation at the Viridian plant.
O’Donnell Griffin was engaged by Viridian to install the electrical and instrumentation components of a new glass coating process at the plant. The process produces hard coating, low energy products that are manufactured from stored chemicals mixed on site. The chemicals are heated and delivered to the glass surface at extreme temperatures via five retractable coating beams. The contract involved installation of switchboard, mains, sub mains, cable ladder systems, type K screened multi core cables (Europe supply), EMC screened control cabled (Europe supply) and power/control cables from Australia, plus other control panels, junction boxes and equipment. As the most advanced installation of this new technology in the world, the project knowledge and installation methods developed by O’Donnell Griffin have become a benchmark for similar installations globally.
David Evans, Senior Design Engineer of Pilkington Group in the UK that developed the technology noted, “O’Donnell Griffin continually exceeded my expectations regarding the electrical and control installation. Pilkington is currently using the experience learned to assist in the installation of similar equipment at other plants around the world.”
Peter Nixon, Victorian Divisional Manager of O’Donnell Griffin said on accepting the award, “It is a great honour to be recognised by our industry in this way. It was a significant challenge for our team to design the installation processes and adapt the overseas components for the Australian situation. It is a credit to each member of the team to have contributed to what has become an award-winning project that has set the benchmark for installing this technology world-wide.”
Victoria’s electrical and communications contractors have continued to deliver world-class installations using the latest environmentally sustainable technologies despite the tough economic conditions of the past year. All the NECA Victoria Excellence Awards winners across nine categories distinguished themselves through innovative design and clever use of technology that sets international benchmarks for electrical and communications installations.
Philip Green, chief executive officer of NECA Victoria said, “As the industry’s peak body, NECA is proud to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of our member organisations. These peer awards not only recognise the exceptional quality of the projects completed, but also the important contribution these organisations make to our industry in terms of business and project management, environment and sustainability, occupational health and safety, employment and training. The awards set these companies apart, giving them a competitive advantage in a very difficult economic climate. We congratulate O’Donnell Griffin on their win.”
The state winners are now automatically eligible for the National Excellence Awards, which will be announced in Melbourne on 26 November 2009.
7 May 2009
By Peter Winder, General Manager, Novo Rail.
Mr Winder is one of Australia’s leading railway experts with experience at Pacific National, Freight Corp and State Rail.
The eyes of the engineering world are on Novo Rail and its unique adaption of alliancing to deliver a $1 billion RailCorp program of essential rail infrastructure upgrades across the Sydney network.
With Australia regarded as world leaders in alliancing, Novo Rail has customised the delivery process to tailor it to the unique requirements of RailCorp – and is setting some new benchmarks along the way.
Rather than being a traditional engineering project Novo Rail is tackling a daunting metropolitan environment involving mass pubic transport and millions of passengers over a five year period.
Not only is the RailCorp program one of the largest alliancing projects undertaken in Australia but its operating environment raises a new level of complexity rarely seen.
For example, the Novo Rail contract consists of around 30 individual projects ranging from small traction supply upgrades to the full integration of complex signaling and communications systems
Novo Rail comprises RailCorp partnering with three of Australia’s most respected engineering companies : O’Donnell Griffin, providing power and signaling expertise; O’Connell Wagner, the design skills; and Laing O’Rourke, the civil experience to build the project.
The Alliance structure has several unique elements that are a first for major construction projects and which take the alliancing model into new areas of management and accountability.
For example:
ODG has adopted alliancing as its major business model due to its flexible nature and ability to tackle the major infrastructure programs on the drawing board for Australia in coming years.
Alliancing gives major infrastructure clients access to the scarce resources required to undertake a project of this scale as well as the ongoing multidisciplinary skills required.
The alliance is currently deep into the design and verification stage for the first projects to ensure that the program of works runs smoothly and is completely integrated before staff mobilisation is largely completed in mid 2009
In a typical alliancing structure the budget has been set and the program team in place before the full scale of the program of projects is defined.
Novo Rail is currently in the early stages of working out the way forward and determining design solutions.
A recent report by HR consultancy Infohrm found Australia’s rail industry investment was being threatened by 40% of employees approaching retirement age and a dearth of training over the past 20 years.
The report estimated that even if the current numbers in operational roles were maintained, retirements and lack of available specialised skilled resources would result in a shortfall of between 2200 and 3200 employees.
Mr Howe said the industry was going through a catch-up period as investment returned and rail became a relevant career choice again. He said one of the most significant concerns of recent years has been the lack of Graduate Engineers entering the industry.
To overcome this, O’Donnell Griffin has developed its own Rail Engineering Graduate program, offering post graduate studies in Rail Signaling, offered by the Central Queensland University.
Mr Howe advised ODG is recruiting recently graduated dual degree engineers and sponsoring each graduate through the Rail Signaling degree by correspondence over three years. The first graduate intake to commence the course has just completed its first year at Central Queensland University and a second intake has commenced in 2009.
“However, even with the added bonus of competitive salary packages to attract these high quality graduates to the industry, there remains an ongoing critical shortage of people for the positions available,” he said.
“The revival of Rail Industry investment has led to an increase in interest in the rail sector from those graduates with a double degree in electrical and mechanical engineering.
“The transformation that has occurred with the industry has made it a keenly sought after vocation. It might be a different choice to I.T. and Construction engineering that normally attract graduates, but the scope for challenging and diverse job opportunities in the Australian rail industry is extraordinary,” he said
While developing its own staff ODG is currently recruiting a high proportion of its senior management off shore, including from the UK. In fact, in 2009, ODG will be turning its attention to South Africa, the Sub Continent and Eastern Bloc countries to fill positions in specialised trades such as Signal Maintenance Technicians.
Mr Howe concludes: “As the rail infrastructure program continues unabated, we will continue to bolster our ranks by upskilling existing signaling electricians via various training courses that are conducted on a state by state basis around Australia, to further support the national shortfall in skilled resources, and to allow ODG the opportunity to continue to better meet market demands in the coming years.”
By Francis Dwornik, Rail Engineering Director, O’Donnell Griffin Rail.
A central body needs to be established to bring Australia’s rail freight network up to speed and to take advantage of the tremendous opportunities available.
The most obvious organisation at the moment is the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC), which oversees the national rail industry and would be well placed to undertake the coordinated effort needed to handle the billions required to be spent in the next two decades.
Multiple decision-makers as we have today cannot respond to the tremendous challenges facing Australia’s rail freight network and the need to separate freight and passenger lines to drive home one of the industry’s primary advantages, that of low emissions.
In 2009, there are five different sets of regulations required to be met to take a train from Brisbane - it is this over-complicated and expensive system that needs to be simplified to take trucks off the road and put cargo back onto the rail lines.
The five most pressing issues for Australian freight are:
Not only will these investments make rail more competitive with road transport but they will significantly reduce Australia’s carbon emissions by taking trucks off the road.
Unfortunately none of this can happen when rail cargo is sharing the lines with passengers. To make rail truly viable there needs to be a significant duplication of rail tracks to ensure the passenger and freight trains are not competing. This will have major benefits for both the passenger and freight network and make both more competitive.
According to a National Transport Commission paper released last year, road transport contributes one third of Australia’s emissions at 14 per cent of the total. Commercial vehicles comprise 18 per cent of vehicles but contribute 38 per cent of road transport emissions. Rail emissions by comparison are negligible.
In terms of the need to separate lanes devoted to either passenger or freight movements, this is essential due to current restrictions. At the moment, freight trains can only operate outside six hours of designated peak-passenger hours in and out of Sydney, so as not to disrupt passenger network operations. This is unacceptable.
Solutions such as the Southern Sydney Freight Line (SSFL) whose works for the ARTC have begun, separating freight and urban passenger systems in Sydney from Chullora to Macarthur, have the ability says ARTC to free up 100 train paths a day for passengers; it also removes the current freight movement curfews in the south. A similar Northern line would do the same and achieve the same 100 passenger-train free-up.
The $2.1 billion South Improvement Alliance (SIA), of which O’Donnell Griffin is an alliance partner with ARTC, is achieving drastic improvement in transit times between the cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. It addresses bottlenecks and the huge wastage of time freight trains can spend sitting idle during a journey, by adding new passing lanes and more efficient signalling systems.
According to ARTC, these works will make rail freight competitive again, with each 1500-metre-long train replacing 100 semi-trailers.
These are good developments but so many more are required. I applaud the vision of the Inland Rail project, now in development stages, which takes a serious stab at creating dedicated freight lines, which mean that Australia will be ready when the economy recovers, for the inevitable boom and pressure on freight volume to be moved efficiently.
But just as it is necessary for governments to have an overall view of the rail industry – freight and rail, while running them successfully in separate networks – it is also necessary for the level of co-ordination between Federal and State governments to be transformed for more efficient rail freight optimisation to occur. In designing and installing signalling on the SIA project, for example, ODG needed to create different signalling technologies for both NSW tracks and Victorian tracks, due to different regulatory codes being run by the two states.
Unless a radical long-term vision is employed to address the rail freight network, there will be a need to simply push more trucks onto the road network. This might appear prohibitive in terms of fuel pricing, environmental cost and urban congestion, but this is seriously the way the trend is going if national freight demand is to be met.
Whilst the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) has forced the postponement of some of Australia’s planned rail infrastructure investment for 2009-2010, the majority appears to still be on track, according to O’Donnell Griffin Chief Executive (Acting), Mr Enrico Pecora.
“We are going to see pockets of different reactions to the GFC,” said Mr Pecora. “In some instances it will slow projects and in others it will push them through as planned regardless,” he says.
”With respect to rail, the investment focus is likely to be on the metropolitan systems around Australia, with a number of major projects recently approved and several more in the pipeline.”
For example, the Federal Government, as part of its $42 billion Economic Stimulus Plan is to provide a $1.2 billion Equity injection into the Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to fund 17 projects to improve efficiency on the nation’s railways; and an additional $150 million funding has also been allocated to the installation of around 200 new boom gates and other safety measures at high risk rail crossings (see list of projects below).
For O’Donnell Griffin, Mr Pecora said, the Novo Rail consortium’s successful bid for the $1 billion RailCorp project, announced in December 2008, was a major win, the Novo Rail Alliance consisting as it does of O’Donnell Griffin, Laing O’Rourke and Connell Wagner.
“We are expecting to see more significant opportunities in rail in the short and medium term as other projects are revived in line with the improvements in the economy,” Mr Pecora added.
These include the awarding of the contract to run the Victorian rail network, work planned for the trans Adelaide line, work on the Northern Perth rail network, and a planned North West Metro link in Sydney.
Whilst the mining industry appears to be wearing the brunt of the GFC with a number of projects on hold pending the economic upswing, there are also still some opportunities on the table there for rail work too.
For example, plans for BHP Billiton’s Rapid Growth Project phase 5 have actually been accelerated – ODG has been involved in RGP2, RGP3 and is still working on RGP4 – and the ARTC continues to invest in the South Improvement Alliance (SIA).
Federal Government Rail infrastructure projects to receive $1.2 billion of funding include:
14 January 2009
Norfolk Group Limited (ASX: NFK) subsidiary, O’Donnell Griffin (ODG), announced today it had appointed Max Rowe as State Manager Victoria.
Rowe has had a dynamic 40-year career in the electrical industry and is known as a results-focused, hands-on, proactive manager.
Norfolk Electrical and Communications Chief Executive, David Lee, said Max Rowe’s role in overseeing the state’s full business activity of p.a. approx $60 million turnover includes multiple projects in power, infrastructure and rail, along with recurring electrical and rail service contracts.
“While it’s true that the current business climate is pressured, O’Donnell Griffin is poised to take advantage because its business units are in sectors that are needing to expand, such as rail and the regeneration of urban rail and freight networks,” said Lee. “Rail is a growth corridor for the company and there are a number of contracts that have been completed by ODG in Victoria recently.”
Rowe is highly knowledgeable in the electrical and electro-mechanical industry, project management, estimating, manufacturing, customer focus and technical perspectives, across commercial, industrial and service sectors.
Prior to coming to O’Donnell Griffin, Rowe was National Operations Manager/General Manager for Nuvo Solutions where he was successful in increasing the brand, strategic planning, operational management, building customer relationships and identifying growth opportunities
Rowe has also held positions as General Manager of Retail Services and Plumbing at Yarra Valley Water, where he started a new ‘Water Conservation’ retail and plumbing business, and Managing Director of Rowe Corporation, which had large-scale operations in the electrical industry and involvement in the Asia Pacific region for more than two decades before selling to a public company in the mid-nineties.
Rowe has successfully completed a number of personal development, professional business management and industry accredited courses during his career including managing a number of successful business entities and winning the prestigious NECA award. He is also recognised in the industry for having a strong record in strategic planning, people management and building customer relationships, while growing business margins and revenue.
“My new role is going to be a fantastic challenge,” he said. “We’ve seen very good growth in the last two years and I’m optimistic.”
O’Donnell Griffin Pty Limited is part of the Electrical & Communications Division of the Norfolk Group, an ASX listed company. The Electrical and Communications Division includes O’Donnell Griffin, WF Energy Controls and Newpower Electrical (NZ).
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