Galilee Power project
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Galilee Power project is a cancelled power station in Alpha, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Galilee Power project | Alpha, Queensland, Australia | -23.473166, 146.551237 (approximate) |
The map below shows the approximate location of the power station.
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | cancelled[1] | coal: unknown | 700 | IGCC |
| Unit 2 | cancelled[1] | coal: unknown | 700 | IGCC |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Waratah Coal Pty Ltd [100%] | Mineralogy Pty Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Waratah Coal Pty Ltd [100%] | Mineralogy Pty Ltd [100.0%] |
Project-level coal details
- Coal source(s): waste coal from Waratah Coal’s tenement
Project summary
The project is associated with Waratah Coal's proposed China First coal mine proposal.[2] Waratah Coal, a subsidiary of Clive Palmer's Mineralogy Pty Ltd, has proposed to build a new 40 million tonnes a year thermal coal export project. The proposed $1.25 billion project would be located approximately 30 kilometres west of Alpha in the Galilee Basin in Central Queensland, Australia.
However, as the project is contingent on the Alpha North coal project, (also known as the China First project) there are substantial doubts about the project proceeding. The Queensland Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, list the project as "EIS being prepared by proponent". (The company was given the terms of reference for the project in April 2013.) A draft EIS must be submitted by April 2015.[3]
The Australian Government's Bureau of Resources & Energy Economics does not mention the project in its October 2013 assessment of major electricity generation projects.[4]
As of March 2015 the EIS was reported as being prepared.[5] However in April 2015 the Queensland Department of State Development stated the "'Coordinated project' declaration lapsed."[6]
In February 2017 it was reported that Waratah Coal had lodged an expression of interest with the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) - the Australian Government-owned Green Bank - to develop Galilee Power project as a $1.2 billion, 900 megawatt carbon capture and storage plant.[7]
In September 2018 Clive Palmer said that he would be seeking an amendment to the draft Environmental Authority for the Waratah Coal project to now include a 700-megawatt power station, associated transmission lines, coal handling facilities, ash containment facility and water storage facility.[8] Queensland premier Annastacia Palaszczuk rejected the idea.[9]
In May 2019 Palmer announced that Waratah planned to build a 1,400-MW ultra-supercritical coal-fired plant in Queensland. The Queensland's Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Energy had not received a proposal for such a plant from Waratah as of May 2019.[10] A September 2021 analysis of the plant found that electricity produced there would cost four times as much as electricity produced by renewables in the region.[11]
A 134-page Waratah Coal document from December 2021 suggested that the project may still move forward. The document claims that energy from the 1400 MW coal plant would be "net-zero". They state that the project's environmental impact assessment, which was approved 8 years earlier, was still relevant. A site inspection took place in December 2019.[12]
In November 2022, the Queensland Land Court ruled against the associated Galilee Coal Project mine. This was the first Australian coal mine to be successfully blocked on the grounds of human rights violations.[13] Waratah Coal could choose to appeal the decision in Queensland’s Supreme Court.[14]
By February 2023, Waratah Coal had discarded its appeal against the Land Court of Queensland’s recommendation.[15] According to the Environmental Defenders Office, it now falls to the Qld Resources Minister Scott Stewart and the Qld Department of Environment and Science to decide whether to issue the mining lease and environmental authority required for the project to proceed. Historically, Ministers and departments have always followed Land Court recommendations.[16]
As of April 2023, Waratah Coal had made no public updates to the status of the Galilee Power Station Project beyond its December 2021 response[12] to Deputy Premier Steven Miles' call-in of the project. In April 2023, the Queensland Department of Environment and Science formally "refused the environmental authority application for Waratah Coal Pty Ltd.’s Galilee Coal Mine," following the recommendation of the Land Court and thereby concluding the environmental authority application process. [17] As the Environmental Protection Act 1994 prohibits further review or appeal of the Department's decision[17], the coal mine and its associated power plant were presumed shelved and likely cancelled.
In November 2023, it was reported that the power station had recently been rejected by the state environment department, but was still being assessed by Queensland Deputy Premier Steven Miles independently of the cancelled mine.[18][19] According to the environment department's rejection notice, the project would increase Australia's emissions output by approximately 5.73 percent were it to be built, in contrast to claims by Waratah Coal that the coal-fired power station would be "carbon neutral."[18] In order to move forward, the proposal would need both the approval of Planning Minister Steven Miles, who had previously "called in" the project, as well as approval of the federal environment department.[18]
On December 14, 2023, the proposal was officially refused by Steven Miles and the project appeared to be cancelled.[20]
Background
In late 2009 the power station was declared a significant project by the State’s Coordinator-General, Colin Jensen. It was proposed that the project be developed in two stages and utilise waste coal from the proposed mine. It was also proposed that the project would incorporate Carbon Capture and Storage. In September 2009 the cost of the project was estimated to be $1.25 billion and employ "up to 1,000 jobs" during construction and 60 when operating.[21]
In 2011 the state government stated that the power station, which has been proposed as comprising two 450 megawatt units, would be built in two stages with the second stage "dependent on demand". The first stage was proposed to be commissioned by 2017. However, the government notes that the "geosequestration of CO2" is proposed to be in the western Galilee Basin but that the $1.25 billion power station pricetag excludes the cost of CCS.[22]
In a departmental media release Jensen stated that the power station "would need to meet the criteria of the State Government’s Climate Q: Towards a greener Queensland strategy, which is focused on moving Queensland towards a low-carbon future".[21]
According to the terms of reference (2013), the power station would use waste coal from Waratah Coal’s tenements, and would utilize integrated gasification combined-cycle technology.[23]
Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation Project website
Website for Gallilee Power project: http://statedevelopment.qld.gov.au/assessments-and-approvals/galilee-basin-power-station.html
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 https://web.archive.org/web/20240218222507/https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/nov/23/queensland-rejects-clive-palmer-carbon-neutral-coal-fired-power-station-waratah-coal. Archived from the original on 18 February 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ Waratah Coal, "Galilee Coal Project (China First Project)", Waratah Coal website, accessed June 2014.
- ↑ "Galilee Basin Power Station", Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, accessed June 2014.
- ↑ Bureau of Resources & Energy Economics, "Electricity Generation Major Projects: October 2013", Bureau of Resources & Energy Economics, October 2013.
- ↑ "Galilee Basin: Who wants to capitalise on last undeveloped coal resource in Queensland?" abc.net.au, 16 Mar 2015
- ↑ "Galilee Basin Power Station", Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning, accessed April 2016
- ↑ Peter McCutcheon, "Clive Palmer company seeking Government assistance to develop clean coal plant in Queensland," ABC News, 27 Feb 2017
- ↑ Clive Palmer says he is serious about building new coal-fired power station in Galilee Basin, Australian Financial Review, Sep. 11, 2018
- ↑ 'We don't need Palmer's new coal-fired power station', says Qld premier, Sydney Morning Herald, Sep. 11, 2018
- ↑ Clive Palmer unveils new coal-fired power station plan in Qld marginal seat, ABC News, May 8, 2019
- ↑ Ben Smee, Electricity from Clive Palmer’s coal power station would cost four times current price, report says, The Guardian, Sep. 30, 2021
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Galilee Power Station – thoughts on proposed call in notice, Waratah Coal, Dec. 1, 2021
- ↑ Historic legal win over Clive Palmer’s Galilee Coal Project, Environmental Defenders Office, November 25, 2022
- ↑ Australia Court Blocks Giant Coal Mine on Human Rights Grounds, Bloomberg News, Nov. 25, 2022
- ↑ Waratah Coal drops appeal against Galilee mine refusal, Australian Mining, Feb. 14, 2023
- ↑ Galilee Coal Project dead in the water after Waratah Coal drops appeal against historic land court refusal, Environmental Defenders Office, February 2023
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Waratah Galilee Coal Mine EA refused, Queensland Government Department of Environment and Science, April 3, 2023
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Clive Palmer's proposed 'carbon neutral' Waratah Coal power plant knocked back for environmental licence, ABC Net News, November 22, 2023
- ↑ Queensland rejects Clive Palmer’s bid to build ‘carbon neutral’ coal-fired power station, The Guardian, November 22, 2023
- ↑ Decision Notice, Steven Miles MP, Local Government and Planning, December 14, 2023
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Queensland Department of Local Government and Planning, "Galilee Power Station project declared significant ", Media Release, September 11, 2009.
- ↑ "Galilee Basin Power Station: Project overview", Queensland Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation website, accessed September 2011.
- ↑ Terms of Reference, State of Queensland, April 2013
Additional data
To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.
