Zinfra Wins 67km Powerlink Package as 87km Calvale–Calliope Build Moves Into Delivery

Zinfra’s appointment closes a major gap in the Stage 1 delivery map

The Calvale to Calliope River project is the first stage of Powerlink’s broader Gladstone transmission reinforcement program. Powerlink is constructing a new 87-kilometre double-circuit 275kV line between Calvale Substation, near Callide Power Station, and Calliope River Substation near Gladstone. The project also requires substation works to connect the new line and accommodate increased network capacity.

The new development is the identification of Zinfra as a delivery contractor for a substantial part of the line. Zinfra’s current recruitment material says it will deliver 67 kilometres of new high-voltage transmission line and construct and string 145 double-circuit steel transmission towers. The company is actively recruiting transmission-line crews for the Central Queensland work, which is a practical execution signal rather than a preliminary market-sounding exercise.

This matters because Powerlink had already filled two other major delivery roles. BMD Constructions was appointed for initial clearing and site-preparation works, and those works started near Calvale in mid-August. Consolidated Power Projects was then awarded a major contract for a 20-kilometre transmission-line section from Calliope River Substation toward the proposed Gladstone West substation, together with Calliope River Substation upgrades and oversight of a 500MVA transformer installation.

The 87km corridor now has a clearer contractor split

Delivery architecture

Zinfra, CPP and BMD now cover distinct major work fronts

Powerlink’s project is designed to reinforce electricity supply into the wider Gladstone region and increase transfer capacity through Central Queensland. Most of the 87-kilometre line is planned beside existing transmission infrastructure in spare easement, reducing the need for an entirely new greenfield corridor.

Zinfra’s 67-kilometre scope is focused on the main transmission-line build and stringing. CPP’s announced scope covers 20 kilometres of line and major Calliope River Substation works. BMD is preparing the easement and access system, including clearing, earthworks, access tracks, tower pads, drainage improvements and site reinstatement.

Powerlink’s project page confirms that the State Ministerial Infrastructure Designation was published on 24 July 2026 and that federal EPBC approval was received in June. Those approvals allowed the project to transition from planning toward field delivery. Powerlink reported in September that site preparation had already commenced and is expected to progress east from Calvale toward Calliope River, with the preparation program scheduled through mid-2027 subject to weather and site conditions.

For the supply chain, this contractor split is useful because it identifies different procurement doors. Civil and access businesses may interface with BMD’s work fronts; transmission-line specialists can watch Zinfra; high-voltage and substation suppliers can monitor CPP and project-level packages; and Powerlink’s Central Queensland Supplier Register continues to provide a broader market-entry point.

Approvals and early works are confirmed; tower erection, stringing and commissioning sit in the delivery sequence

Confirmed now vs delivery next

The project has moved beyond contractor selection into physical enabling work

Powerlink’s September update confirms clearing and site preparation are already underway. The Zinfra selection adds another defined execution package to that activity. In practical terms, the project is no longer a single future procurement opportunity: it is an active delivery program with different work fronts moving at different speeds.

The next visible steps should include progressive tower-foundation and structure work, tower assembly and erection, conductor and OPGW stringing, substation civil and electrical works, transformer integration, testing and commissioning. The sequence will depend on design release, access, environmental conditions and contractor work programs.

Supplier activity is live, but businesses need to follow the right procurement channel

Commercial position

ICN now explicitly points suppliers toward the principal contractors

The current ICN project listing says BMD has been engaged for site preparation and access, CPP for transmission-line and substation works, and Zinfra for additional transmission-line and substation works. It advises suppliers to engage directly with the relevant principal contractors while maintaining their ICN registration.

For Zinfra, ICN lists a public eProcure expression-of-interest pathway and a dedicated C2C contact address. The project listing also says principal contractors are responsible for procuring the majority of goods and services needed for their packages. That makes contractor-level engagement more important as the project shifts from broad supplier registration into work-package procurement.

The ICN project page currently lists several open work packages. The C2C Substation Bulk Earthworks EOI is shown closing on 5 October 2026. Demolition works and substation internal roads are shown closing on 26 October, while a communications phones and radio package is listed to 26 November. Closing dates can change, so suppliers should rely on the live ICN listing rather than BBI’s article for tender administration.

Relevant capability areas across the program can include transmission tower assembly and erection, conductor and OPGW stringing, cranes and lifting, earthworks, access tracks, transport and logistics, accommodation and site facilities, environmental management, civil works, communications and specialist substation services. These are capability areas associated with project delivery and procurement pathways; they are not statements that a named supplier has won a package.

What BBI is watching next

The most important next signals will come from execution rather than another high-level project announcement. The project now has major contractors identified across the principal work fronts, so the commercial story shifts toward mobilisation, package procurement and measurable construction progress.

For Central Queensland contractors, the value of the Zinfra announcement is not simply another company name on the project. It completes much of the visible principal-contractor picture for Stage 1 and makes the downstream procurement pathways easier to read. The key discipline now is to distinguish live supplier opportunities from confirmed awards and to follow the contractor channels relevant to each work front.