Stanwell Power Station Outage Village is a prime example of Stanwell supporting local businesses through the Buy Local, Build Local initiative.

The SPS outage village, consisting of 23 modular buildings that are connected to power, water, and sewage, was built in July 2023 by modX, a manufacturer based in Rockhampton.

The village was constructed to enable a single location for multiple teams of specialists to collaborate and find solutions to operational matters. Like the saying goes, it takes a village… And that is certainly the case when it comes to managing large maintenance projects like the SPS Unit 1 overhaul, which was the original driver behind the village concept.

One of the modX manufactured buildings is lowered into place during construction of the Stanwell Power Station Outage Village.

It takes an entire community of specialists, trades, HSE, engineering and other teams to undertake these outages or maintenance programs and the Outage Village is the place where everyone comes together to plan.

The Outage Village project contract was awarded to modX on merit through a competitive bid process and utilised local employees, trade contractors, and suppliers for goods and services.

Since opening their Central Queensland business in May 2022, modX has forged a strong reputation for manufacturing and installing demountable and transportable buildings and they were keen to work in partnership with Stanwell on the 23-buiding village – the largest project they had embarked on.

Through collaboration with Stanwell’s procurement and health, safety, and environmental specialists, modX was able to increase their capability and resources to meet the demands of the project.

Stanwell Power Station General Manager Angie Zahra said Stanwell has a strong commitment to supporting and expanding local procurement, manufacturing, and supply chain opportunities.

“modX demonstrated their ability to deliver the required scope of work,” Ms Zahra said.

“Our HSE specialists and project managers provided guidance and advice to the modX team to ensure they met our regulatory obligations.

“This guaranteed that the project was completed within the tight timeframe, within the allocated budget, and with safety measures in place. This allowed modX to utilise their previous experience and grow as a business, successfully delivering a project of this size”.

Ms Zahra said supporting local supplier development is beneficial for building resilience in local supply chains, as well as promoting manufacturing and retaining jobs and skills within the region.

“The project not only generated employment and opportunities but also achieved a successful outcome that meets the highest standards of excellence,” Ms Zahra said.

The Stanwell Power Station Outage Village was completed in readiness for the 2023 Unit 1 overhaul.

The Director of modX, Paul Abbott, stated that their high-quality modular buildings were well-suited for the SPS outage village. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to install them on-site and for the support provided by Stanwell.

“Working within the requirements of Stanwell’s stringent Health, Safety and Environment Framework provided an opportunity for our business to improve our own HSE framework and systems for future projects of this nature.

“The outage village is used by 500 workers during the outage. To design and construct a complex of that size within 12 months was a significant undertaking and something both our guys at modX and the team at Stanwell can be extremely proud of.

“This experience has boosted our belief in our ability to work within organisational frameworks that have significant internal regulatory requirements.

“The growth of our business has resulted in a 50% increase in our employee and contractor numbers.

“After completing the Stanwell project, we built a mining camp at Charters Towers and secured two additional contracts in regional Queensland,” Mr Abbott said.

The SPS outage village provides various facilities such as offices, lunchrooms and amenities blocks for contractors who work at the power station during annual maintenance overhauls and other projects.

Stanwell used to transport in temporary buildings from as far as Brisbane at a huge cost, connect them to all the necessary services and then demobilise the complex after each overhaul.

However, a shortage of portable buildings and stricter compliance obligations prompted Stanwell to find a long-term solution. That solution was local supplier ModX.