Muja power station
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Muja power station is an operating power station of at least 454-megawatts (MW) in Collie, Western Australia, Australia with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Muja power station | Collie, Western Australia, Australia | -33.445875, 116.307528 (exact) |
Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):
- Stage A Unit 1, Stage A Unit 2, Stage B Unit 3, Stage B Unit 4, Stage C Unit 5, Stage C Unit 6, Stage D Unit 7, Stage D Unit 8: -33.445875, 116.307528
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage A Unit 1 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 60 | subcritical | 1966 | 2017 |
| Stage A Unit 2 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 60 | subcritical | 1966 | 2017 |
| Stage B Unit 3 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 60 | subcritical | 1968 | 2017 |
| Stage B Unit 4 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 60 | subcritical | 1969 | 2017 |
| Stage C Unit 5 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1980 | 2022 |
| Stage C Unit 6 | Retired | coal: subbituminous | 200 | subcritical | 1981 | 2025[1] |
| Stage D Unit 7 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 227 | subcritical | 1984 | 2029 (planned) |
| Stage D Unit 8 | Operating | coal: subbituminous | 227 | subcritical | 1985 | 2029 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner | Parent |
|---|---|---|
| Stage A Unit 1 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage A Unit 2 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage B Unit 3 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage B Unit 4 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage C Unit 5 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage C Unit 6 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage D Unit 7 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
| Stage D Unit 8 | Verve Energy [100%] | Electricity Retail and Generation Corp |
Background
Muja power station was a 1,094-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station owned and operated by Verve Energy, which was merged into Synergy in 2014, an electricity corporation owned by the Western Australian government. The Muja power station, which was opened in 1966, comprised of four 60 MW units in Stages A-B, two 200 MW generating units in Stage C and two 227 MW units in Stage D.[2]
Collie Just Transition Plan
In December 2023, the Western Australia state government announced it would contribute an estimated $300 million toward the decommissioning process of the Muja power station and the Collie power station, as part of the larger $547.4 million Collie Transition Package.[3]
A & B units refurbished, then quickly retired
On its website Verve Energy stated that "the four smallest and least efficient units, Stages A and B, were closed in April 2007. These units could be refurbished and recommissioned by 2012 as an interim measure during the transition to clean technologies." The four units were 60 MW each.[2][4]
In 2009, the Barnett government controversially decided to refurbish the aging facility by December 2011, to bolster South West energy supplies, saying the private sector would pay for the refurbishment. The project was reportedly plagued by problems from the outset, with technical and engineering difficulties leading to multiple cost and time blowouts.[5]
In June 2013, after spending A$308m on the planned recommissioning of units A & B, Premier Colin Barnett announced work had been postponed indefinitely: "units three and four continue to operate, units 1 and 2 are basically mothballed".[6] Critics say the government should face a public inquiry over its decision to revive the plant, as the private investor had pulled out amid ballooning project costs, leaving taxpayers footing the bill.[7]
As of 2014, two units of Muja A and B were used intermittently.[8] The units were plagued by operational and reliability problems, generating electricity just 20 percent of the time.[5]
In May 2017, Labor energy minister Ben Wyatt said plants A and B would be retired permanently.[9] Synergy planned to retire two units at Muja AB in September 2017, and the remaining two units would likely be retired in April 2018.[10]
In September 2017 Wyatt announced that all units at Muja A/B would be closed by the end of the month due to safety concerns and the high cost of repairs needed to keep the plant operational. “$300 million of taxpayers' money was wasted on this project due to their disastrous management,” Wyatt said. “Muja AB will be remembered as the embodiment of the previous government’s lack of respect for the taxpayers of WA."[11] In March 2018, Synergy confirmed it had made an additional US$20.3 million provision for decommissioning the coal-fired generator.[5]
C & D retirement plans
As of December 2018, the plant was expected to close in 2023.[12]
In August 2019, the Australian government announced that Muja-C would be retired by Oct. 1, 2022 and Muja-D would be retired by Oct. 1, 2024.[13] Keeping these units open longer would cost taxpayers an estimated $350 million.[13]
In June 2021 the retirement date for Muja-C Unit 1 was given as 2022, and Muja-C Unit 2 it was 2024.[14]
In June 2022, Premier Mark McGowan announced the government-owned power utility Synergy would shut its remaining coal-fired plants by 2029. Two units at the Muja power station were still scheduled to close later in 2022 and in 2024. The remaining capacity was set to close in 2029. The government proposed to spend A$3.5 billion (US$2.4 billion) over 10 years on 800 MW of new wind capacity, battery storage and potentially pumped hydropower. The announcement left just the Bluewaters power station as the only remaining coal plant in the Western Australian grid.[15]
In October 2022, Stage C Unit 5 was retired.[16]
In August 2023, reporting announced that the retirement of Stage C Unit 6 would be pushed back six months, from its previously planned date of October 2024 to April 2025.[17][18] During those six months, the unit would be placed on "reserve outage mode" as backup capacity until its true retirement.[19]
As of October 2024, the two remaining units at Muja-D were planned for retirement in 2029.[20]
On April 1, 2025, Muja C Unit 6 was retired as planned. The unit had been in strategic reserve for six months.[21] The Net Zero Economy Authority did not conduct an assessment of need through the Energy Industry Jobs Plan, which had commenced in December 2024. The Authority stated that it did plan to consult on subsequent retirements at Muja power station and Collie power station.[22]
Coal source
Coal for the power station was sourced from the Muja mine operated by Griffin Coal.[23]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20240125132317/https://esdnews.com.au/muja-c-power-station-retirement-delayed-by-six-months/. Archived from the original on 2024-01-25.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Verve Energy, "Muja," Verve Energy website, accessed November 2010
- ↑ Collie Just Transition, Government of Western Australia, December 5, 2023
- ↑ Verve Energy, "Generating Capacity," Verve Energy website, accessed November 2010
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Daniel Mercer, "Muja AB closure to cost $20m," The West Australian, March 26, 2018
- ↑ "Government suspends work on Muja power station". ABC. ABC. June 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Call for inquiry into Muja Power Station Fiasco". ABC. ABC. June 25, 2013.
- ↑ "Coal rules again at power," The West Australian, August 3, 2014
- ↑ Sophie Vorrath, "WA to close Muja coal units, in first signs of major shift to renewables," Renew Economy, May 5, 2017
- ↑ "Muja AB set to close four units," Collie Mail, 5 May 2017
- ↑ "Collie’s Muja AB power station to close in multi-million dollar loss," The West Australian, September 13, 2017
- ↑ Matt Mckenzie"Signs Point to Coal Closures," Business News, December 2018
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Muja Power Station in Collie to be scaled back from 2022," Government of Western Australia, Aug. 5, 2019
- ↑ "Surging solar making South West power grid hard to manage," Boiling Cold, June 17, 2021
- ↑ "Synergy coal power stations including Muja to close as WA Government prioritises renewable energy," ABC News, June 14, 2022
- ↑ "Paul Murray: Electricity regulator issues blackout warning for WA as Government's coal phase-out hits home," The West Australian, September 23, 2022
- ↑ Muja C Power Station retirement delayed by six months, Energy Source & Distribution, August 21, 2023
- ↑ Shutdown of Collie coal-fired power plant delayed in response to fears over electricity shortages, The West Australian (site is behind a paywall), August 16, 2023
- ↑ Alinta plans big battery to support WA energy transition, PV Magazine Australia, August 22, 2023
- ↑ Collie’s Just Transition: Diversifying a coal economy, Government of Western Australia, Accessed: October 31, 2024
- ↑ Muja Unit 6 generator retired: Decommissioning activities underway, Collie River Valley Bulletin, April 12, 2025
- ↑ David Shankey, Closure of the Muja C generating unit, Net Zero Economy Authority, February 21, 2025
- ↑ Griffn Coal, "Muja Mine," Griffin Coal website, accessed November 2010
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.
