| Part of the Global Coal Plant Tracker, a Global Energy Monitor project. |
| Related coal trackers: |
Stanwell power station is an operating power station of at least 1460-megawatts (MW) in Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
Location
Table 1: Project-level location details
| Plant name | Location | Coordinates (WGS 84) |
|---|---|---|
| Stanwell power station | Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia | -23.509114, 150.317801 (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: -23.509114, 150.317801
Project Details
Table 2: Unit-level details
| Unit name | Status | Fuel(s) | Capacity (MW) | Technology | Start year | Retired year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unit 1 | operating | coal - subbituminous | 365 | subcritical | 1993 | 2043 (planned) |
| Unit 2 | operating | coal - subbituminous | 365 | subcritical | 1994 | 2044 (planned) |
| Unit 3 | operating | coal - subbituminous | 365 | subcritical | 1995 | 2045 (planned) |
| Unit 4 | operating | coal - subbituminous | 365 | subcritical | 1996 | 2046 (planned) |
Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
| Unit name | Owner |
|---|---|
| Unit 1 | Stanwell Corp Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 2 | Stanwell Corp Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 3 | Stanwell Corp Ltd [100.0%] |
| Unit 4 | Stanwell Corp Ltd [100.0%] |
Background
The Stanwell power station is a 1,460 megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station which is owned and operated by the government-owned generator, Stanwell Corporation. The power station, which comprises four 365 MW generating units, is located 22 kilometres west of Rockhampton in Central Queensland. The first generating unit was commissioned in 1993 with the station becoming fully operational in 1996.[1]
Water supply for the power station is drawn from the Fitzroy River.[1] The company states that the power station burns approximately 4 million tonnes a year of "low sulphur black coal sourced from various Central Queensland mines".[2]
In April of 2019, the National Pollutant Inventory by Environmental Justice Australia, revealed that nitrous oxides from the plant doubled in 2017-18 to 36,000 tonnes from 18,000 a year earlier. The change comes with the installation of continuous monitoring at the Stanwell power station, rather than relying on the operators' estimates.[3]
Scheduled retirement
According to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) in 2019, the plant was scheduled to retire in 2044-2045.[4]
In May 2023, the AEMO showed that Unit 1 would close in 2043, Unit 2 in 2044, Unit 3 in 2045, and Unit 6 in 2046. [5] While reporting in August 2023 stated that the station would be "fully repurposed for low carbon energy by a 2032-2033 timeline" and implied that all coal-fired power stations in the state would be decommissioned by 2035,[6] the October 2023 AEMO updated maintained that the four units were still planned for decommission from 2043-2046.[7]
Financing for coal supply
In May 2020 Australian bank Westpac announced that it would not longer fund thermal coal projects beyond 2030. In 2018 Westpac loaned $720 million lending facility to Coronado Global Resources, which provides coal for Stanwell.[8]
IGCC with CCS plant
Stanwell Corp had proposed constructing a 500 MW IGCC plant with carbon capture and storage at the plant site, known as ZeroGen. The commercial–scale deployment study was funded by the Queensland and Australian Governments and the Australian Coal Association, under a coalition known as ZeroGen Pty Ltd. The project was initiated in 2008 and cancelled in 2010. Zerogen cited the following reasons for the cancellation:[9]
- inability of the Northern Denison Trough storage resource to accommodate the sustained injection rates or volumes of CO2 required by the project;
- uncertainty as to the timely award of sufficient tenure and funding necessary to successfully appraise an alternative CO2 storage resource;
- very high capital and operating costs which could not be supported by anticipated revenue streams;
- technical risks around the CO2 capture technology and project integration; and
- lack of credible project funding opportunities to achieve financial close.
Battery energy storage system (BESS) in plans
In July 2022, it was reported that Stanwell was making plans to build "a large-scale standalone battery with a combined 1.45 GW/2.9 GWh of energy storage adjacent to its coal-fired Stanwell Power Station." [10] The battery would be part of a "battery blitz" led by the "state government as it looks to grow Queensland’s energy storage capacity."[10]
Articles and Resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Stanwell Corporation, "Stanwell Power Station", accessed June 2010.
- ↑ Stanwell Corporation, "Stanwell Power Station", Stanwell Corporation website, April 2009.
- ↑ Peter Hannam, "Coal-fired power, coal mines continue to head toxic pollutants list", The Sydney Morning Herald, April 1, 2019.
- ↑ Mark Ludlow, 'Premature' closure of Qld coal plant 'dire': Taylor, Financial Review, Oct. 7, 2019
- ↑ Generating unit expected closure year - May 2023, AEMO, May 5, 2023
- ↑ Flow batteries arrive onsite as Queensland government reveals Clean Energy Hub plans, Energy Storage News, August 29, 2023
- ↑ Generating Unit Expected Closure Year - October 2023 AEMO, October 2023
- ↑ Derek Rose, Westpac to end support for coal by 2030, news.com.au, May 4, 2020
- ↑ "Zerogen: IGCC with CCS: A case history," Zerogen, 2012
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Stanwell plans 2.9 GWh big battery next to coal unit PV magazine, July 1, 2022
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.
