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Yallourn W power station is an operating power station of at least 1480-megawatts (MW) in Yallourn, Victoria, Australia. It is also known as Yallourn power station.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Yallourn W power station | Yallourn, Victoria, Australia | -38.177284, 146.34421 (exact) |
The map below shows the exact location of the power station.
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4: -38.177284, 146.34421
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal: lignite | 360 | subcritical | 1973 | 2028 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal: lignite | 360 | subcritical | 1975 | 2028 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal: lignite | 380 | subcritical | 1981 | 2028 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal: lignite | 380 | subcritical | 1982 | 2028 (planned) |
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
Yallourn W power station is owned by EnergyAustralia (formerly known as TRUenergy), a subsidiary of CLP.[1] The power station is supplied with coal from the Yallourn mine.
The 1480 megawatt power station is located near Yallourn West and, in 2010, was estimated to have emitted 15 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e).[2] EnergyAustralia estimates that the power station emits, on an as sent out basis, 1.4 kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent per kilowatt hour.[3]
The power station comprises two 360 megawatt generating units and two 380 megawatt units which were commissioned between 1974 and 1982.[4] (Another report from 2003 lists the units as being two 350 generating units commissioned between 1973 and 1975 and two 375 megawatt units commissioned between 1981 and 1982 with an overall capacity of 1450 megawatts. It was also assessed as the second lowest cost producer in Victoria and with a "sent out thermal efficiency" of approximately 28%.)[5]
EnergyAustralia stated in a late-2012 business review that the power station benefited from a "fixed low cost fuel source" and that the power station was "well positioned to benefit from a rising wholesale gas price market, despite the introduction of the carbon tax from 1 July 2012."[6]
In October 2012 EnergyAustralia announced, as part of its lobbying against retaining the Renewable Energy Target in its current form, that it would idle one 360 megawatt unit at the power station due to the impact of the carbon price "together with weak wholesale electricity prices and falling electricity demand." The company argued that the Renewable Energy Target should be revised to reduce the amount of new wind and solar power supplied to the grid.[7] However, in mid-January, without any announcement or significant media coverage, the unit was restarted to cater for the increased summer load.[8]
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.[9]
Realibility problems
In June of 2019, The Australia Institute’s Gas & Coal Watch initiative found that Yallourn W is the least reliable coal plant in Australia, by breakdowns per unit of capacity (GW).[10] A February 2020 report by the Institute found that Yallourn-W had broken down 37 times between December 2017 and December 2019.[11]
Accidents and incidents
In mid-2012 the collapse of a river diversion embankment resulted in the mine pit being flooded, conveyor belts damaged, and the power station being offline for most of June. (For full details see the Yallourn mine article.)
In early January 2013, a small fire broke out at the power station believed to be as a result of high temperatures causing coal dust to ignite. The fire was extinguished within half an hour.[12] In February 2018 a fire was again caused by the accidental ignition of coal dust.[13]
In November of 2018, a worker died in the Yallourn W power station after a high-voltage circuit breaker exploded.[14]
In July 2023, a 2.5-tonne steel support hangar fell from the roof of a boiler room and landed on the walkway below. Citing this and previous incidents, union organizers expressed concerns about safety at the aging power station.[15]
TRUenergy flags willingness to close ... if it gets the right price
In mid-2010 TRUenergy signalled that, while they believed that an emissions trading scheme remained the best way to reduce greenhouse gases, they were prepared to phase out the plant if they could negotiate an appropriate amount of direct compensation from the then Labor Victorian government and/or the federal government. "Given there is unlikely to be an emissions trading scheme in the near term, direct action (in the form of compensation for cutting pollution) is certainly something that will reduce emissions," TRUenergy spokesman Carl Kitchen told The Age.[16] However, in September 2012 the federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson, announced that plans for the contract for closure program had been scrapped. In a media release Ferguson stated that "the Government could not be satisfied that entering into such arrangements would achieve value for money against the Contract for Closure Program objectives." He stated that regional adjustment funding which had been pledged to areas affected by closure under the program would remain available to areas affected by the carbon price.[17]
Shutdown Date
EnergyAustralia has applied to extend the Yallourn Mine's operating license, which currently expires in 2026, until December 31, 2032.[18] "Since the closure of Hazelwood, Yallourn has taken the mantle of dirtiest power station in Australia," said Mark Wakeham, CEO of Environment Victoria. "Rather than proposing to extend the life of this polluting clunker we should be planning for its closure and supporting the Latrobe Valley community with a fair and just economic transition."
In June of 2019, Yallourn coal-fired power plant was reported to have a planned 2029 shut down date, progressively switching off its four units one by one until its full closure in 2032.[19] A December 2019 analysis of the power supply in Victoria by RepuTex found that growth in small-scale renewable sources would allow for the closure of Yallourn-W as early as April 2023.[20] In March 2021 EnergyAustralia announced that the plant's retirement date was being moved up to mid-2028 due to its increasing uncompetitiveness with renewable energy.[21] As of October 2024, the power station's planned closure year was still 2028 according to the Australia Energy Market Operator.[22]
In September 2022, Environmental Clean Technologies Limited (ECT) was looking into purchasing land and mining rights at the site following the power station's closure in 2028. The ECT CEO stated that the company was pursuing the pelletification of brown coal and claimed that the product could have "zero emission and zero waste discharge". The Australia Institute's Climate and Energy Program director said that wind energy generation should be pursued instead: "The worst thing to do right now is to raise people's expectations that there's a future for brown coal...we're not on track to avoid dangerous climate change, we need to keep...coal and gas in the ground".[23]
In May 2023, the Latrobe Valley Express reported that the National Zero Emissions Authority would be expected to "support the retraining of interested Yallourn workers to transition to these new roles [in the clean energy sector] through [their] $10 million Yallourn Transition Program." [24]
Battery energy storage system to replace power station
In 2022, it was reported that the power station would be replaced by a battery in 2026.[23]
Handouts from carbon tax package
EnergyAustralia received $257,498,933.37 of the $1 billion cash payments given out in 2011/12[25] to the operators of the most polluting coal-fired power stations. The cash was paid from the Energy Security Fund which was established as a part of the carbon tax legislation passed in 2011.[26][27]
The $1 billion in payments were made before the carbon price was introduced, with no further payments scheduled for the financial year 2013.
However, for the 2014 and 2015 financial years EnergyAustralia estimates that it will receive 10.7 million free carbon units which at $24.20 and $25.40 each would be valued at $259.4 million and $272.3 million respectively.[28]
From July 2015 it is planned that an emissions trading scheme will commence with the the carbon price determined by the market. The initial plan of having a fixed floor of $15 per tonne from July 2015 was dropped after lobbying from power generators and instead the Australian scheme linked to the European Union scheme. Energy Australia reported that as a result of the watering down of the scheme "Australian carbon prices from July 2015 onwards are expected to be somewhat lower than under the original scheme." EnergyAustralia described the changes as "positive" for it.[29]
Proposed gas-fired plant shelved
In December 2012 EnergyAustralia announced that it had shelved plans for a 1000 megawatt gas-fired power station in Victoria's Latrobe Valley. EnergyAustralia's head of markets, Mark Collette, told The Australian that the power station would not be needed until much later this decade. "We are seeing further deterioration in the energy market and wholesale prices, and we don't expect conditions to improve in the foreseeable future," he said.[30] The proposed power station was to have been built on the site of the existing Yallourn power station. Earlier in 2012 the company had scaled the size of the plant back to potentially 600 megawatts. However, the continued decline in demand undercut the need for the plant.[31]
Emissions complaints
In April 2020 a coalition of Victoria groups, including Environmental Justice Australia and Doctors for the Environment, alleged in a complaint filed with the Environmental Protection Authority that Yallourn increased emissions of PM10 coarse-particle pollution by 45 per cent in the most recent reporting year, despite one of its generating units being offline for maintenance during that time.[32]
In September 2021 Environment Victoria filed a lawsuit alleging that the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) had failed to adequately consider greenhouse emissions when it reauthorized three Victoria power stations earlier in the year: Loy Yang A, Loy Yang B, and Yallourn.[33]
In October 2022, Environment Victoria's argument was heard in a three-day trial. The organization was seeking a court order to nullify the EPA's decision not to impose emissions limits through Australia's 2017 climate change legislation. A decision on the matter was expected to be delivered in the coming weeks.[34]
National Pollutant Inventory Data
The Australian's Government's National Pollutant Inventory lists emissions from the Yallourn power station for 2010/2011 as being:[35]
| Substance | Air Total (kg) | Air Fugitive (kg) | Air Point (kg) | Land (kg) | Water (kg) | Total (kg) |
| Ammonia (total) | 23,000 | 640 | 24,000 | |||
| Arsenic & compounds | 56 | 56 | ||||
| Beryllium & compounds | 31 | 31 | ||||
| Boron & compounds | 38,000 | 1500 | 40,000 | |||
| Cadmium & compounds | 46 | 0 | 46 | |||
| Carbon monoxide | 11,000,000 | 11,000,000 | ||||
| Chromium (III) compounds | 170 | 12 | 180 | |||
| Chromium (VI) compounds | 110 | 110 | ||||
| Copper & compounds | 130 | 170 | 300 | |||
| Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene) | 1 | 1 | ||||
| Fluoride compounds | 27,000 | 4,000 | 31,000 | |||
| Hydrochloric acid | 1,600,000 | 1,600,000 | ||||
| Lead & compounds | 150 | 14 | 160 | |||
| Manganese & compounds | 4,000 | 6,600 | 11,000 | |||
| Mercury & compounds | 29 | .91 | 30 | |||
| Nickel & compounds | 700 | 140 | 840 | |||
| Oxides of Nitrogen | 16,000,000 | 16,000,000 | ||||
| Particulate Matter 10.0 um | 3,400,000 | 3,400,000 | ||||
| Particulate Matter 2.5 um | 2,000,000 | 2,000,000 | ||||
| Polychlorinated dioxins and furans (TEQ) | 0.00034 | 0.00034 | ||||
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (B[a]Peq) | 14 | 14 | ||||
| Sulfur dioxide | 20,000,000 | 20,000,000 | ||||
| Sulfuric acid | 31,000 | 31,000 | ||||
| Total nitrogen | 19,000 | 19,000 | ||||
| Total Volatile Organic Compounds | 18,000 | 18,000 | ||||
| Total Phosphorus | 4,600 | 4,600 | ||||
| Xylenes (individual or mixed isomers) | 64 | 64 | ||||
| Zinc and compounds | 1,300 | 600 | 1,900 |
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ TRUenergy, "About TRUenergy", TRUenergy website, accessed August 2010.
- ↑ The Climate Group, Greenhouse Indicator Series: Australian Electricity Generation report 2007 – 2010, The Climate Group, October 2011, page 21. (Pdf)
- ↑ EnergyAustralia, "Energy Australia: Business Update", October 24, 2012, page 10.
- ↑ CLP Group, "Yallourn power station and mine", CLP Group, accessed September 2010.
- ↑ J. Nunn, A. Cottrell, A. Urfer, L. Wibberley and P. Scaife, "A Lifecycle Assessment of the Victorian Energy Grid", Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development, February 2003, page 7. (Pdf).
- ↑ EnergyAustralia, "Energy Australia: Business Update", October 24, 2012, page 9.
- ↑ EnergyAustralia, "Changes to Renewable Energy Target required for a sustainable electricity market", Media Release, October 17, 2013.
- ↑ Daniel Palmer, "A tale of two coal plants", Climate Spectator, January 11, 2013.
- ↑ "EnergyAustralia blames $1bn loss on ‘unprecedented conditions’ amid supply issues at coal plants", The Guardian, 27 Feb 2023.
- ↑ Victoria’s gas & coal power fleet most unreliable in Australia, Mirage News, June 17, 2019.
- ↑ Fossil fails in the smart state, The Australia Institute, February 2020
- ↑ Jessica Chambers, "Grassfires contained", Latrobe Valley Express, January 7, 2013.
- ↑ Yallourn fire flares, Latrobe Valley Express, Feb. 8, 2018
- ↑ Emma Field and Robert French"'Popular and hardworking' Victorian worker dies after explosion at Yallourn Power Station", ABC, 13 Nov 2018.
- ↑ "Yallourn Power Station safety concerns are bad news as Australia enters long, hot summer," ABC News Australia, September 20, 2023
- ↑ David Rood and Tom Arup, "Yallourn's hand up for shutdown", The Age, July 28, 2010.
- ↑ "Contract for Closure negotiations cease", Media Release, September 5, 2012.
- ↑ Victoria may extend Yallourn coal licence despite zero-emissions pledge, The Guardian, Jan. 15, 2018
- ↑ Adam Carey and Nick Toscano Yallourn coal-fired power plant due to shut down from 2029, The Age, June 25, 2019
- ↑ VICTORIAN MARKET READINESS TO SUPPORT THE EARLY RETIREMENT OF YALLOURN POWER STATION, ReputTex, December 2019
- ↑ Michael Mazengarb & Giles Parkinson, EnergyAustralia to close Yallourn coal plant in 2028, to build massive big battery, Renew Economy, Mar. 10, 2021
- ↑ Generating Unit Expected Closure Year File - October 2024, AEMO, October 31, 2024
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 Aussie tech company's bid to take over power station site closing soon, 9now, September 2022
- ↑ Call answered, Latrobe Valley Express, May 16, 2023
- ↑ Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency,"Generation complexes eligible to receive Energy Security Fund cash payments", Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website, July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Australian Government, "An overview of the Clean Energy Legislative Package", Clean Energy Future website, accessed January 2013.
- ↑ Energy Security Council, "About the Council", Energy Security Council website, accessed January 2013.
- ↑ EnergyAustralia, "Energy Australia: Business Update", October 24, 2012, page 20.
- ↑ EnergyAustralia, "Energy Australia: Business Update", October 24, 2012, page 10.
- ↑ Matt Chambers, "EnergyAustralia puts gas-fired plant on hold", The Australian, December 28, 2012.
- ↑ Tom Arup, "Gas-fired power plant put on hold", Sydney Morning Herald, December 27, 2012.
- ↑ Action looms over 'steep, unexplained' spike in power plant pollution, Sydney Morning Herald, Apr. 23, 2020
- ↑ Court challenge launched over pollution from Victoria's coal power stations, ABC, Sep. 22, 2021
- ↑ Environment Victoria launches Supreme Court challenge of EPA's review of coal-fired power stations in Latrobe Valley, ABC, October 23, 2022
- ↑ National Pollutant Inventory, "2010/2011 report for TRUENERGY YALLOURN PTY LTD, TRUenergy Yallourn - Yallourn North, VIC", Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, March 2012.
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.
