Manufacturing

HQPlantations Toolara

Client

HQPlantations

Duration

Present

Location

Toolara, Queensland, Australia

Value

Undisclosed

Strengthening critical infrastructure at Queensland’s largest commercial nursery – delivering targeted electrical upgrades that support safe, compliant, and resilient site operations.

HQPlantations is Queensland’s largest commercial plantation grower, managing more than 300,000 hectares of forest across the state. Its Toolara nursery plays a key role in replanting programs, producing millions of seedlings each year to support sustainable forestry operations.

Since 2021, PHE Group has supported the Toolara nursery through a series of electrical infrastructure upgrades. Recent projects have included a full-site electrical audit and rectification works, along with the delivery of a new main switchboard and site-wide power capacity upgrades.

Aerial photos courtesy of HQPlantations.

Project Scope

Site electrical audit and rectification

Site-wide audit and testing of electrical infrastructure
Supply of updated electrical drawings
Recommendations to bring systems up to current standards
Replacement of all electrical switchboards
Upgrade of existing underground infrastructure
Project value: $250 thousand

Site power upgrade

Supply and installation of a new main switchboard
Site power capacity increase
Project value: $230 thousand

Outcomes and Benefits

Delivered a transformer and main switchboard upgrade, reconfigured feeders, and optimised protection settings to safeguard continuous operations and minimise downtime.
Provided spare transformer capacity and main switchboard expansion space to accommodate forecast load growth with reduced lifecycle costs.
Coordinated protection, cable routing, and discrimination improvements to ensure stable performance under 24/7 production demands.
Managed utility liaison, staged outages, and temporary supply to keep plant operations on track during installation.
Supported HQPlantations’ bioenergy production with reliable, low‑emissions electrical infrastructure.
Achieved full compliance with AS/NZS standards, manufacturer requirements, and Energex regulations, streamlining future maintenance and audits.

Project Images