Powerbox is proud to have played a part in the Mount Newman Railway LTE upgrade project, helping our customer to deliver precision and efficiencies in one of the world’s most challenging environments.

Operating a railway line of over 426 km in the Pilbara Region of Western Australia isn’t easy. Add to that equation some of the world’s harshest weather extremes and you’ve a very challenging operating environment. 

During 2017, investigations began assessing technology options with the intention of upgrading the signalling to a moving block communication based train control system. This required the creation of 4G LTE communications infrastructure in such a way that it can withstand everything the Pilbara can throw at it. 

Powerbox and Enatel Energy were chosen to provide the tailored DC hybrid-optimised power core for 22 greenfield sites along the Mount Newman Railway.  The result will optimise communications power on the red earth of the Pilbara for many generations to come. 

A smart, tailored solution

Enatel Energy’s patented SYNERGi technology is used across Australia and the world to enhance site set-up and maintenance at off-grid locations that rely on hybrid power. Typically, these sites involve the management of cyclical batteries charged by solar and diesel gen-set back-ups. 

Unlike its competitors, the system offers rugged, patented technology around dynamic capabilities that take away as much manual interaction as possible. In this process SYNERGi extends the life of the sites battery assets, reduces emissions where diesel is used, and minimises site-specific operational costs (OPEX) by up to 90%.  

All housed within a compact two-metre tall equipment rack, site operators were able to bring everything together, remotely monitoring and controlling elements at each site, like the:

• fire panel
• HVAC
• building services
• access control
• communications
• generators and more

Once commissioned, SYNERGi’s self-learning capabilities kicked in, independently optimising the settings of individual sites so they’re running optimally to their specific conditions. This meant we were able to deliver savings on operational expenses immediately, and resulted in greater efficiencies in communication across the business. We think the results speak for themselves. 

Mount Newman Railway