Melbourne's EastLink tunnels have received significant lighting upgrade, making them the first major tunnel in Victoria to be lit by LED lights.

Over four nights, 60 technicians worked with 22 scissor lifts to replace 1,066 High Pressure Sodium lights with 1,174 LED lights.

Providing an energy efficient solution to reduce overall energy consumption was one of the key benefits realised by the EastLink Alliance Continuous Improvement Team (CIT).

Ventia's Group Manager Sustainability, Alexandra Monson said the team replaced the existing HPS luminaries in a bid to reduce tunnel lighting energy use by 26%:

This is a reduction of 468 tons of CO2 per year. Overall, it's a 7% reduction of the Scope 2 emissions for EastLink.

Scope 2 emissions are those released to the atmosphere from the indirect consumption of an energy commodity. For example, 'indirect emissions' come from the use of electricity produced in another facility.

Alexandra says that playing a role in reducing the carbon footprint of EastLink is one way in which Ventia and the broader Alliance CIT can support EastLink's sustainability goals. 

"Ventia is driven to help make infrastructure work for the communities in a safe, smart and sustainable way. Delivering projects like this help us achieve that vision." 

A winning solution 

The project was funded by the EastLink Concessionaire - ConnectEast, planned by the ConnectEast/Ventia Operations & Maintenance Alliance, and delivered by the Ventia team. 

An initial trial installation of various types of LED lights was carried out with the support of an independent technical consultant to determine the preferred lighting solution. 

Contract Manager George Vasiliadis says in addition to the environmental benefits, the lighting needed to provide a safe and high-quality tunnel lighting solution. 

The existing light installations were at or nearing their end of asset life, so the timing was right to upgrade the lighting using current technology with the added benefits of reduced power consumption, performance reliability and lower maintenance costs.

This initiative is aligned with Ventia's commitment to seeking opportunities for continuous improvement in resource efficiencies.