Hazelwood (Sunset Power International) power station
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Hazelwood (Sunset Power International) power station is a cancelled power station in Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Hazelwood (Sunset Power International) power station | Latrobe Valley, Victoria, Australia | -38.271833, 146.390879 (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 | coal: lignite | 660 | unknown |
| Unit 2 | cancelled | coal: lignite | 660 | unknown |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Sunset Power International Pty Ltd [100%] | Engiana Establishment [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Sunset Power International Pty Ltd [100%] | Engiana Establishment [100.0%] |
Background
In late 2018 Trevor St Baker, the co-owner of Sunset Power International, revealed that he was seeking funding from the Australian Government's Underwriting New Generation Investments program for a new A$3-4 billion 1320 MW brown coal plant on the site of the old Hazelwood power station.[1] As of December 2020 the project has not progressed, and appears to be shelved.
In March 2019 Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that 12 projects had been short-listed but this did not include the proposal for a new plant at the Hazelwood power station site. However, Morrison said that "the Government will continue to engage with proponents that have not made the shortlist, but meet the guidelines."[2]
In May 2020, Engie demolished the old Hazelwood power station's eight chimneys, each of which contained 50kg of asbestos, which was reportedly monitored during demolition. [3] The remainder of the Hazelwood station's units were demolished in the years following.
As of November 2022, Engie's website stated that the former Hazelwood power station and its associated mine were in the process of "rehabilitation," in efforts to "return the Hazelwood site to a safe, stable and sustainable condition". [4] Among other CSR efforts, Engie describes the "construction of a 150 MW Hybrid Battery Energy Storage System (HBESS) on the site of the former Hazelwood plant" [4] with no mention of a new coal plant being built at the same site. The 150 MW battery reportedly began operations in late April 2023. [5]
As no further mention of St Baker's or any other investors' plans to build a new coal plant on the former Hazelwood power station site have been found since January 2019, the proposed Sunset Power International coal plant appears to be cancelled (as of 2023).
Ownership
The site for the new power station proposed by St Baker is currently owned by Engie.
Pollution
The Australian reported that "emissions would be about a third less than those from the highly polluting Hazelwood facility" but provided no data to support the claim.[1]
Financing
In 2019, when St Baker revealed details of his pitch for taxpayer funding, The Australian reported that he "has lined up a Chinese joint-venture partner" but did not name the company. St Baker said that financing the projects would not be sought from Australian banks but instead would rely solely on international lenders.[1]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Perry Williams, "Chinese in $6bn clean coal plan", The Australian, January 19, 2019.
- ↑ Prime Minister Scott Morrison, "Delivering affordable and reliable power", Media Release, March 26, 2019.
- ↑ "Hazelwood power station's eight chimneys demolished in live stream viewed by thousands", The Guardian, May 25, 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "CSR-related questions from our stakeholders", Engie, November 30, 2022.
- ↑ "Hazelwood battery charges up for first time at site of former coal generator", Renew Economy, April 28, 2023.
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.
