Behind every renewable energy project lies the high-voltage infrastructure that allows electricity to reach the grid. At Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd, women are increasingly contributing to the engineering, design and delivery of these systems.
Large-scale wind farms, solar projects and battery energy storage systems rely on high-voltage substations and transmission lines to export renewable electricity into the network.
Organisations delivering this infrastructure therefore play a critical role in enabling the clean energy transition. Among them is Consolidated Power Projects Australia Pty Ltd (CPP), an engineering, procurement and construction company specialising in high-voltage electrical infrastructure.
Established in 2008 and operating as part of the global infrastructure group Quanta Services since 2014, CPP delivers substations, transmission lines and grid-connection infrastructure across Australia. Recent projects include balance-of-plant electrical delivery for Akaysha Energy’s Orana Battery Energy Storage System, engineering services for Stage Two of the Golden Plains Wind Farm, transmission upgrades at Cressy Terminal Station, and grid-connection infrastructure for the Hawkesdale Wind Farm.
Running these projects are multidisciplinary teams of engineers who coordinate complex design and construction work that connects renewable generation to the grid. The experiences of two female engineers in the field – Kokila N Adamnathan and Natasha Bryksin – provide insight into the practical challenges of delivering large-scale energy infrastructure.
Coordinating complex projects
Kokila N Adamnathan, Design Manager at CPP, works across projects that require coordination between engineers, designers and project teams.
High-voltage infrastructure projects typically involve multiple engineering inputs and tight delivery timelines. Therefore, maintaining structure across teams is an essential part of the role.
“Our projects are time-sensitive and have a lot of inputs that are needed to complete designs. And so, it’s important that I’m able to manage my time and work with the team members to ensure they’re on task to ultimately deliver a successful project on time and on budget,” Kokila says.
Developing strong organisational habits early in her career helped prepare her for managing these environments.
“One of the lessons I learnt early in my career was to be organised and very clear about what I need to achieve in my day. In this fast-moving sector, you must set yourself up for the next day, the week after, and the month after in unison,” Kokila says.
Kokila’s career pathway has also involved working across multiple engineering sectors before moving into renewable infrastructure.
“I’ve worked across different sectors like offshore wastewater and power, which gave me early exposure to the vast engineering disciplines,” Kokila says.
“Graduates new to the industry should try to get exposure across different projects. Project workstreams include site works, commissioning and drafting. That helps you understand what’s involved in different stages of complex projects.”
Collaboration across teams is also central to delivering large infrastructure projects.
“What I really enjoy about working at CPP is the culture. We’ve built good rapport within our teams and know we have each other’s backs during busy periods. At the same time, everyone takes accountability for their individual responsibilities within projects because they’re passionate about what they do,” Kokila says.
This shared commitment is particularly critical because renewable energy projects often involve multiple technical disciplines and stakeholders.
Designing transmission links
Natasha Bryksin, Senior Transmission Line Designer at CPP, has spent the past 15 years helping to design the infrastructure that connects renewable energy projects to the electricity grid. Transmission lines play a critical role in this process, forming the physical link that allows renewable power to flow from generation sites into the network.
“Typically, we have a developer for a wind or solar farm that needs to be connected to the grid. A transmission line is constructed between the project substation and the grid substation. We build the transmission line, with poles, towers and conductors that connect the two,” Natasha says.
Transmission design involves modelling terrain, determining conductor tensions and analysing structural loads using specialised engineering software.
Natasha shares that technical variation across projects keeps the work engaging.
“You might think designing transmission lines would be fairly typical, but it isn’t. There’s different clients, terrains and structures,” she says.
She also values the tangible outcome of the work.
“We don’t only design something as a concept. We have a chance to make it a reality. Later on, you can look at the transmission line and proudly say, I helped build that,” Natasha says.
Another distinctive aspect of the job is the close relationship between design and construction teams.
“We’re not just producing concepts. What we design is what we build. There’s close collaboration between the design and construction teams. We discuss how things will be built during the design stage so that the design can be constructed effectively by other teams,” Natasha says.
Knowledge and collaboration
Both engineers highlight the importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration within engineering teams.
“The knowledge base we have at CPP is extensive. The many Principal Engineers know what they’re doing and are willing to share that knowledge with young engineers. Throughout my time with the company, I have never had requests for training or development declined. Management understands that people are the most valuable asset,” Natasha says.
The multidisciplinary structure of the organisation also supports collaboration across engineering disciplines.
“We have primary, structural, civil, construction and commissioning teams under one umbrella. Talking to people from different teams gives you a broader understanding of how projects work,” Natasha says.
Kokila and Natasha both say that women are understandably attracted to careers as engineers in renewable energy infrastructure for a combination of reasons: Purpose-driven work, strong career opportunities, collaborative workplace culture, and visible representation within the sector.
“What excites me in this renewables era are the many opportunities and hybrid projects coming out,” Natasha says.
“Working with clients and navigating project delivery challenges with our teams makes it a very interesting time to be the industry,” Natasha adds.
“Being a woman in the industry is not a limitation, it’s the norm. You don’t have to look far to see capable women leading teams,” Kokila says.
Natasha offers similar encouragement to young engineers entering the sector, whether that be women or men.
“Ask questions, be curious and be passionate about what you do. If you give it 100 per cent, you’ll learn, grow, and go far in this sector,” she says.
This article was featured in ecogeneration magazine (April 2026 edition).
