Mr COULTER - 1998-02-19
Mr COULTER (Transport and Infrastructure Development): Madam Speaker, I was asked questions yesterday by the member for Wanguri in relation to the Darwin port. He asked if it was true that the new Darwin port project's electrical cabling work had been delayed 6 months past its scheduled completion date of October 1997. The answer that has been provided to me is no. The electrical power supply was scheduled to be completed by the end of January. Therefore, it is true to say that it is a month overdue. The cable has now been laid and is awaiting joining up to the reticulation within the port system, which is not yet at a stage for the power supply to be joined.
The member for Wanguri also asked if I could confirm that a private contractor laid conduit pipe that was crushed by subsequent work. I will read out the answer as provided to me: 'A private contractor did lay the conduit and some of this was crushed by heavy earthmoving equipment used by another contractor working at the port'.
The member asked if I could confirm that, when PAWA employees tried to complete the cabling, they found they had to re-lay most of the conduit. The answer is that it is not true that most of the conduit had to be re-laid. Of the 4000 m laid from the Trade Development Zone to the port, 100 m required re-laying. The increased cost of this work has not yet been quantified by the Power and Water Authority, but is expected to be only a small amount. There has been no delay to the supplying of power and hence no effect on the time of completion of stage 1 of the new port facility.
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The member for Wanguri also asked if I could confirm that a private contractor laid conduit pipe that was crushed by subsequent work. I will read out the answer as provided to me: 'A private contractor did lay the conduit and some of this was crushed by heavy earthmoving equipment used by another contractor working at the port'.
The member asked if I could confirm that, when PAWA employees tried to complete the cabling, they found they had to re-lay most of the conduit. The answer is that it is not true that most of the conduit had to be re-laid. Of the 4000 m laid from the Trade Development Zone to the port, 100 m required re-laying. The increased cost of this work has not yet been quantified by the Power and Water Authority, but is expected to be only a small amount. There has been no delay to the supplying of power and hence no effect on the time of completion of stage 1 of the new port facility.
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Last updated: 09 Aug 2016