Powerlink appoints Zinfra to build the Calvale to Gladstone West section of Gladstone Project Stage 1

Powerlink has appointed Zinfra as a main works contractor for Stage 1 of the Gladstone Project, the new 275 kV transmission line that will link Calvale Substation, near Callide Power Station, with Calliope River Substation near Gladstone. Zinfra will build the line from Calvale to the site of the new Gladstone West Substation south of Mount Larcom, and upgrade Powerlink's Calvale Substation.

Powerlink announced the appointment on 28 September 2026. Zinfra completes the Stage 1 line-up alongside BMD Constructions, which is clearing the corridor, and Consolidated Power Projects (CPP), which is building the eastern end. All three have mobilised to site, and the line is due to be energised in March 2029.

Project at a glance

Zinfra's part of the job

Zinfra's section is the longer, western run of the line, from Calvale Substation near Biloela across to the Bruce Highway near Gladstone West. Powerlink's October project map shows Zinfra working on it, and on the Calvale Substation upgrade, from September 2026 to late 2028.

"We are proud to partner with Zinfra to construct this section of transmission line," Powerlink Chief Executive Dr Seán Mc Goldrick said. "Zinfra brings the capability and technical expertise to help deliver this essential upgrade to the electricity network."

Zinfra Managing Director Peter Iancov said the company wanted the project's benefits to reach beyond the infrastructure itself, through work with Powerlink, local communities and regional suppliers.

Neither Powerlink nor Zinfra has published a value for Zinfra's contract.

Three contractors, one line

The contract that CPP won in late August is part of this same Stage 1 project. Powerlink's 31 August release says CPP will build 20 km of new line between Calliope River Substation and the proposed Gladstone West substation. CPP will also upgrade Calliope River Substation and oversee the installation of a 500 MVA transformer, with about 150 workers forecast and around 30 per cent expected to come from Central Queensland.

BMD Constructions, the first contractor appointed, is clearing and preparing access along the whole alignment, mostly existing spare easements beside existing lines. BMD expects to spend about $50 million directly with local businesses, including around $3 million with First Nations-owned enterprises.

Why Central Queensland needs it

Gladstone is one of Queensland's largest industrial centres. Powerlink says the project will keep the region's supply safe and reliable as Gladstone Power Station heads towards retirement, bringing in power from other sources such as solar farms and large-scale batteries. It also expects demand to grow as industries electrify, and says the project will support their decarbonisation and replace system services the power station provides today, such as inertia, system strength and voltage control.

The Gladstone Project is a declared Priority Transmission Investment (PTI), the Queensland Government's process for identifying and assessing major transmission investments. The project achieved PTI regulatory investment approval in 2026, and Powerlink has been issued PTI directions by the Queensland Government to build it. Powerlink's June 2025 Final Assessment Report put the base cost of Stage 1, as then scoped, at $954 million in 2025 dollars, before escalation and contingency; that earlier scope also included establishing Gladstone West Substation, which now sits in Stage 2. In the State Budget, the Queensland Government announced a $501 million investment in Stage 1 to progress it from planning to construction. For how network spending flows through to power prices, see how transmission costs reach your bill.

Off to a good start on site

Works on Country began with smoking ceremonies in early August led by the Gaangalu Nation People at the western end of the alignment and the Bailai, Gurang, Gooreng Gooreng and Taribelang Bunda People at the eastern end. Crews are also relocating protected cycads that sit where towers or tracks are needed.

Powerlink says more than $1 million has already been spent with local businesses since August. More than 126 businesses attended tendering sessions in Biloela, Gladstone and Rockhampton, and nine local businesses are in negotiations with the delivery partners.

What's next

• Late 2026: Main construction begins at both substations, then moves into the transmission corridor.
• Early to mid 2027: Clearing and access works complete.
• Late 2028: Main construction, commissioning and testing complete.
• March 2029: Energisation and start of operation.

Stage 2 follows close behind: an 80 km, 275 kV double-circuit line from Bouldercombe to Gladstone West, and a new Gladstone West 275 kV substation. Powerlink expects construction on Stage 2 to begin in October 2027, with the substation targeted for June 2029 and the full stage for August 2030.

Published 29 October 2026 · Updated 28 October 2026