Mount Piper power station
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Mount Piper power station is an operating power station of at least 1390-megawatts (MW) in Portland, New South Wales, Australia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Mount Piper power station | Portland, New South Wales, Australia | -33.358087, 150.032036 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2: -33.358087, 150.032036
- Unit 3, Unit 4: -33.3586, 150.0316
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: bituminous | 730 | subcritical | 1993 | 2040 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: bituminous | 660 | subcritical | 1996 | 2040 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | cancelled | coal: bituminous | 750 | supercritical | – | – |
| Unit 4 | cancelled | coal: bituminous | 750 | supercritical | – | – |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | EnergyAustralia Pty Ltd [100%] | CLP Holdings Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | EnergyAustralia Pty Ltd [100%] | CLP Holdings Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | EnergyAustralia Pty Ltd [100%] | CLP Holdings Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | EnergyAustralia Pty Ltd [100%] | CLP Holdings Ltd [100.0%] |
Background
Mount Piper power station is a 2 x 700-megawatt (MW) subcritical power station owned by EnergyAustralia, which is itself a subsidiary of CLP Group. It was commissioned in 1993-1996.[1]
In May 2023, the Australian Energy Market Operator reported the nameplate capacities of the two units as 730 MW (Unit 1) and 660 MW (Unit 2). [2]
In July 2024, the Australian Energy Regulator (AER) published an investigation into short-term spikes in electricity prices in Australia’s National Electricity Market, and found that both EnergyAustralia and AGL Energy “put upward pressure on prices by reducing the amount of low-priced capacity offered” to the market from Mount Piper power station and Bayswater power station. The AER noted that while utilities maximizing profits is allowed under the rules of the market, “the behaviour may not have been in the best interests of energy consumers.”[3]
Ownership
The plant was owned and operated by the government-owned utility, Delta Electricity, and then sold to EnergyAustralia. On its website in October 2009 Delta stated of the Mt Piper Power station that "when both generating units are operating at full load, approximately 14,000 tonnes of coal are consumed daily, leaving some 3,500 tonnes of ash to be disposed of each day."[4]
In February 2023, CLP Group reported that coal plant operator EnergyAustralia lost $HK5.3 billion ($680 million USD) in 2022. The company said the shortfall was caused by "unprecedented conditions" due to the "volatile period of energy transition". EnergyAustralia operated the Yallourn W power station and the Mount Piper power station.[5]
Coal supply
Coal is supplied from Centennial Coal's Angus Place Colliery, which is approximately 5km to the east of the power station.[6]
In February 2023, it was reported that EnergyAustralia was "hoping that a new supply agreement with Centennial" would guarantee "enough coal to throw into its boilers, while it also seeks to absorb the new price caps on gas and coal imposed by the federal and state governments." [7] This news came after a year of "reduced output [...] following a planned outage and curtailed generation to conserve fuel, as coal deliveries from a supplier were lower than contracted." [8]
Plant expansion
On January 12, 2010 the then NSW Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, approved a "concept plan" for Delta Electricity establishing up to an additional 2000 MW coal or gas-fired plant near the existing Mt Piper Power Station. The approval was subject to further environmental assessment on a specific proposal. The decision stated that "this concept approval shall lapse ten years after the date of its approval by the Minister unless works the subject of any related project approval are physically commenced on or before that date."[9]
In its November 2011 review of the major electricity generation projects under consideration in Australia, the Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics noted that a 2000 MW expansion of the power station was under consideration though no decision had been made on whether it would be coal or gas-fired.[10] The following year BREE reported that there had been no change in the status of the project.[11]
The project was not mentioned in BREE's 2013 update on major electricity generation projects.[12]
In July 2019 EnergyAustralia announced plans to upgrade the plants two units to increase their capacity by 30 MW each. The upgrades would be completed by 2020 for Unit 1 and 2021 for Unit 2.[13] The first stage of the upgrades was completed in January 2021.[14]
Planned retirement and BESS proposal
In September 2021, EnergyAustralia announced that the plant would be closed in 2040.[15]
In October 2022, EnergyAustralia announced plans for a 500 MW battery energy storage system (BESS) at the site. The move was in support of the company's coal phase-out and could be operational by 2026.[16]
According to reporting in August 2023, EnergyAustralia confirmed that it would not close the power station before 2040, but it might relegate the station to a "reserve" status as soon as the early 2030s.[17] In such a role, the power station's units would remain connected to the grid, but only be used as a backup power source when renewables capacity would be low.[18]
In July 2024, EnergyAustralia confirmed its plans to build a BESS and pumped hydro power station at the site of the coal-fired power station.[19] The New South Wales government granted its approval for the 500 MW (2,000 MWh) BESS project in November 2024, with construction expected to begin in 2026.[20]
Project timeline
- January 12, 2010: NSW Minister for Planning, Tony Kelly, approved a "concept plan" for an additional 2000 MW coal or gas-fired plant.[9]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ "EnergyAustralia acquires Mt Piper and Wallerawang power stations", Media Release, July 25, 2013.
- ↑ 05/05/2023 Generating unit expected closure year – May 2023, AEMO, May 5, 2023.
- ↑ “Electricity prices above $5,000 per MWh - April to June 2024,” Australian Energy Regulator, July 2024
- ↑ "Mt Piper", Delta Electricity website, accessed October 2009.
- ↑ "EnergyAustralia blames $1bn loss on ‘unprecedented conditions’ amid supply issues at coal plants", The Guardian, 27 Feb 2023.
- ↑ "Operations & Community: Angus Place", Centennial Coal website, accessed June 2014.
- ↑ EnergyAustralia turns to storage as unreliable coal sends it to billion-dollar loss, Renew Economy, Feb. 27, 2023.
- ↑ https://www.argusmedia.com/en/news/2424612-volatility-coal-issues-push-energyaustralia-into-loss Volatility, coal issues push EnergyAustralia into loss], Argus, March 1, 2023.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Concept approval", NSW Government Department of Planning, January 12, 2010. (Detailed documentation on the project is available here)
- ↑ Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics, "2011 November: Major electricity generation projects", November 2011, page 21.
- ↑ Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics, "2012 November: Major electricity generation projects", November 2012, page 19.
- ↑ Bureau of Resources and Energy Economics, "2013 November: Major electricity generation projects", October 2013, page 21.
- ↑ EnergyAustralia to upgrade Mt Piper power station in New South Wales, Power Technology, Jul. 8, 2019
- ↑ Imogen Hartmaan, Mount Piper Outage Sees Major Economic Benefits, Pump Industry, Jan. 8, 2021
- ↑ Australia’s Mount Piper coal power plant to close early, Argus Media, Sep. 24, 2021
- ↑ EnergyAustralia reveals plan for new 500 MW big battery, PV Magazine, Oct. 13, 2022
- ↑ EnergyAustralia won’t retire Mt Piper coal before 2040, but may run it like a battery, Renew Economy, August 21, 2023
- ↑ Climate Transition Action Plan EnergyAustralia, 2023
- ↑ Batteries and pumped hydro for Mt Piper – EnergyAustralia, AuManufacturing, July 12, 2024
- ↑ NSW gives planning approval for giant 2 GWh battery at site of state’s likely last coal generator, Renew Economy, November 26, 2024
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.
