Gladstone power station
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Gladstone power station is an operating power station of at least 1680-megawatts (MW) in Stanwell, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Gladstone power station | Stanwell, Queensland, Australia | -23.850667, 151.219711 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3, Unit 4, Unit 5, Unit 6: -23.850667, 151.219711
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 280 | subcritical | 1976 | 2035 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 280 | subcritical | 1977 | 2035 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 280 | subcritical | 1978 | 2035 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 280 | subcritical | 1979 | 2035 (planned) |
| Unit 5 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 280 | subcritical | 1981 | 2035 (planned) |
| Unit 6 | Operating | coal: bituminous | 280 | subcritical | 1982 | 2035 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd [100%] | Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [42.1%]; NRG Energy Inc [37.5%]; SLMA GPS Pty Ltd [8.5%]; Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd [7.1%] |
| Unit 2 | NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd [100%] | Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [42.1%]; NRG Energy Inc [37.5%]; SLMA GPS Pty Ltd [8.5%]; Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd [7.1%] |
| Unit 3 | NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd [100%] | Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [42.1%]; NRG Energy Inc [37.5%]; SLMA GPS Pty Ltd [8.5%]; Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd [7.1%] |
| Unit 4 | NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd [100%] | Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [42.1%]; NRG Energy Inc [37.5%]; SLMA GPS Pty Ltd [8.5%]; Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd [7.1%] |
| Unit 5 | NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd [100%] | Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [42.1%]; NRG Energy Inc [37.5%]; SLMA GPS Pty Ltd [8.5%]; Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd [7.1%] |
| Unit 6 | NRG Gladstone Operating Services Pty Ltd [100%] | Rio Tinto Alcan Inc [42.1%]; NRG Energy Inc [37.5%]; SLMA GPS Pty Ltd [8.5%]; Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd [7.1%] |
Background
The Gladstone power station is a 1,680 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station which is owned by a consortium of companies and operated by NRG Gladstone Operating Services, a subsidiary of the U.S. energy company NRG Energy.
The Stanwell Corporation states that "the station was commissioned in 1976 and later purchased from the Queensland Electricity Commission in 1994 by a joint venture comprising Rio Tinto Aluminium, three of its Japanese partners in Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL), and NRG, a US based energy provider ... Following a 2007 restructure of Queensland’s energy assets, Stanwell is responsible for trading the output from Gladstone Power Station."[1]
Since 1994, the station has been operated by NRG Gladstone Operating Services on behalf of Joint Venture participants Rio Tinto Ltd (42.125%), NRG Energy Inc (37.5%), SLMA GPS Pty Ltd (8.50%), Ryowa II GPS Pty Ltd (7.125%) and YKK GPS (Queensland) Pty Ltd (4.75%).[2]
As of April 2022, the power station employed more than 320 local residents. It remained the largest power plant in Queensland.[3]
In February 2025, a planned industrial action of the Mining and Energy Union and four other unions would reportedly involve the complete stoppage of all six units at Gladstone power station for 24 hours.[4] Four units continued to run over the designated time period.[5]
Environmental Issues
According to a 2019 analysis of the federal government’s National Pollutant Inventory, Gladstone power station emitted 111 kilograms of mercury between 2017 and 2018, the fourth highest amount in the country.[6]
An April 2020 update to the government's National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) found that larger-particle pollutants from Gladstone increased from 160,800 kilograms in 2017-18 to 190,900 in 2018-19, while smaller particulates rose by 23% from 56,932 kilograms in 2017-18 to 69,793 kilograms.[7]
In April 2022, new data showed that while reducing electricity generation by 16% in the year of 2020-21, emissions of PM2.5 and PM10 pollution from Gladstone power station increased by about the same amount (15% and 16% respectively).[8]
Proposed Retirement
In July 2018, a report from the Australian Energy Market Operator predicted that the Gladstone Power Station would retire by 2029.[9] The operators of the Gladstone Power Station rejected this prediction, claiming that the station would stay in operation beyond 2029.[10] In October 2019, the Australian Energy Market Operator revised the predicted retirement year to 2035.[11]
In March 2023, it was reported that high coal prices had forced Rio Tinto to write off one of the station's major customers, the Boyne Smelter, down to zero. According to the news article, "[i]f the Power Station were to lose the Boyne Smelter as a customer, its lifespan could suddenly and unexpectedly shorten." [12]
In November 2024, it was noted that the Gladstone region would require upgrades to its transmission network to accommodate both the growing electricity demand of the industrial sector and the retirement of Gladstone power station.[13]
As of April 2025, candidates in Australia's May 2025 election had opposing plans to either add new capacity using renewables or nuclear power. Reporting highlighted that if the winning candidate's plan was unsuccessful, capacity from the exisiting Gladstone power station was the likely alternative.[14]
Contact Details
Gladstone Power Station
Hanson Road Gladstone QLD 4680
Website: http://www.nrggos.com.au/
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ Standwell Corporation, "Gladstone Power Station", Stanwell Corporation, accessed June 2010.
- ↑ NRG, "About Us", NRG Gladstone, accessed April 2019
- ↑ Gladstone Power Station Welcomes New General, Gladstone News, Apr. 22, 2022
- ↑ About the Industrial Action at Gladstone Power Station (potentially) taking all units offline … and LOR forecast for QLD, VIC and SA, WattClarity, February 3, 2025
- ↑ Four units at Gladstone still running … was it (is it) partly a game of bluff?, WattClarity, February 5, 2025
- ↑ Adam Carey "Mercury emissions from Victoria's coal-fired power plants top nation", The Age, March 31, 2019
- ↑ Tony Moore, Queensland's older coal-fired power plants see major jump in emissions, Brisbane Times, Apr. 9, 2020
- ↑ New data shows big jump in toxic coal plant pollution, even as output falls, Renew Economy, Apr. 5, 2022
- ↑ Integrated System Plan, Australian Energy Market Operator, July 2018
- ↑ Gladstone Power Station: We will operate beyond 2029, Energy Matters, Aug. 8, 2018
- ↑ Qld to close coal-fired power station a decade early, Australian Financial Review, Oct. 7, 2019
- ↑ Rio Tinto writes off Boyne Smelter amid soaring coal prices, Australian Conservation Foundation, March 10, 2023
- ↑ Securing Queensland’s electricity supply, Energy Magazine, November 6, 2024
- ↑ One of the World’s Biggest Coal and Gas Ports Is Being Tested, Bloomberg, April 2025
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.
