Tarong Power Station
Coal-fired power station in Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Tarong Power Station is a coal fired power station located on a 1,500 hectares (3,700 acres) site in Tarong in the South Burnett Region near the town of Nanango, in Queensland, Australia. The Queensland-government-owned utility Stanwell Corporation operates the plant. The station has a maximum generating capacity of 1,400 megawatts, generated from four turbines. Coal is supplied via a conveyor from Meandu Mine, which is 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) away and is also owned by Stanwell.[citation needed] Water is supplied from Boondooma Dam.[1]
| Tarong Power Station | |
|---|---|
Tarong Power Station in 2021 | |
 Location of the Tarong Power Station in Queensland, Australia | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Tarong, Queensland |
| Coordinates | 26°46′52″S 151°54′54″E |
| Status | Operational |
| Construction began | 1979 |
| Commission date | 1 Unit: May 1984 2 Unit: May 1985 3 Unit: February 1986 4 Unit: November 1986 |
| Construction cost | A$1.23 billion |
| Owner | Stanwell Corporation |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Bituminous coal |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 4 × 350 MW |
| Make and model | Hitachi |
| Nameplate capacity | 1,400 MW |
| External links | |
| Website | https://www.stanwell.com/energy-assets/ |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Construction and design
The location near Nanango was the preference of the premier of the day, Joh Bjelke-Petersen, out of a total of three possible locations that were considered.[2] It was decided to build a new power station at Tarong in 1978, with work beginning in the following year.[3]
Stanwell decided in 2021 to install a 150 MW grid battery at Tarong.[4] Scheduled for 2023, the battery will add approximately two hours of storage to the facility.[5] However, the battery was doubled to 300 MW and 600 MWh, connected in 2025[6][7] and operating in February 2026.[8]
Emissions
The power station was the site for a pilot project which had been expected to reduce emissions by 1000 tonnes per year by collected carbon dioxide from flue gases.[9] The project was developed by CSIRO and launched in 2010.[9]
A second trial to capture greenhouse gas emissions was conducted by MBD Energy. The technology being trialled collected carbon dioxide and pumped it into waste water where it synthesised oil-rich algae into edible seaweed products or oils.[10] Research measured performance of certain bacteria types.[11][12]
Demand reduction
In October 2012, Stanwell announced plans to shut down two generating units for two years.[13] The electricity market was oversupplied and wholesale electricity prices were relatively low.[14] The scaling down of operations resulted in the loss of employment for some workers.[citation needed]
Return to service
Because of higher natural gas prices, in 2014 power generators again turned to coal-fired plants.[15] However, in January 2014, Stanwell disclosed that maintenance inspections had revealed cracks in the rotors of the steam turbines in Units 1, 3 and 4.[16] The cracks in the still-operational Units 1 and 3 caused the company to replace their rotors.[16] At the time, the company was considering whether to pursue a repair or replacement for Unit 4's 50-tonne (110000 lb) turbine rotor.[15][16]
In July 2014, one of two units shut down in 2012 returned to service. The recommissioning task involved a weld repair, and was a first for a turbine of that type, taking 20,000 hours to complete.[15] The second turbine was expected to return to operation by mid-2015.[14][15]
As coal is scheduled for reduction, LNP MP Peter Dutton said he intends, if elected, to build one of seven government-owned nuclear power plants on this site, to be operational by 2035–2037.[17]
