Munmorah Power Station
| Munmorah Power Station | |
|---|---|
 Munmorah Power Station | |
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | near Doyalson, Lake Munmorah, New South Wales |
| Coordinates | 33°12′42″S 151°32′31″E / 33.2118°S 151.542°E |
| Status | Decommissioned |
| Commission date | 1967 |
| Decommission date | 2012 |
| Owner | Delta Electricity |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Bituminous coal |
| Turbine technology | Steam Turbine |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 350 MW |
| Nameplate capacity | 1400 MW |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
Munmorah Power Station was a coal fired electricity power station with four 350 MW English Electric steam driven turbo-alternators for a combined capacity of 1400 MW. The station is located near Doyalson, on the shores of Lake Munmorah, New South Wales, Australia and is owned and operated by Delta Electricity, a company owned by the New South Wales Government.
Four gas turbine plants at Colongra have been installed recently. However, the coal-fired generators have been permanently retired from service.
History and facilities
The station was constructed with 4 English Electric 350 MW turbo-alternators. Munmorah had a total capacity of 1,400 MW. Steam was supplied at a pressure of 2,500 psi and a temperature of 460 °C. One unit was completed in 1967, another in 1968, and the remaining two in 1969. Units 3 and 4 had fabric filters fitted in the 1980s, and this reduced load to 320 MW each. Units 1 and 2 were relegated to emergency use from 1992.
Munmorah drew salt water from Lake Munmorah, part of the Tuggerah Lakes, for condenser cooling. The coal for Munmorah came from underground mines, MM State mine and Newvale 2, and also from Vales Point coal storage via a series of conveyor belts.
In September 2007, the New South Wales State Government announced the commencement of a trial of 'clean coal' technology at Munmorah Power Station. The A$5 million trial by the CSIRO and Delta Electricity is the first part of a larger A$150 million trial jointly funded by the coal companies.[1]
On 15 October 2007, 15 Greenpeace activists entered the power station property and switched off one of the conveyor belts as a protest against the climate change policies of the Liberal Party of Australia and Australian Labor Party in the run up to the 2007 federal election.[2]
As at 2012, Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 4.246 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal.[3]
Delta Electricity announced on 3 July 2012 the closure of Munmorah power station after 45 years of operation due to decreasing energy demand. Units 3 & 4 had been maintained on standby but have not been in production since August 2010. Munmorah was disconnected from the grid in May 2014 and completely de-commissioned. Plans are underway to demolish the station and it's out buildings and sell off the 500 acres of surrounding land for housing. In December 2015, a survey of the power station precinct found that pollutants had entered the water table and made the area unsuitable for housing.
See also
- Lake Munmorah
- Wyong Shire Council
- Eraring power station
- Vales Point power station
- Colongra Gas Generation Plant
- Delta Electricity - Government-owned corporation that is the holding company for Munmorah Power Station
References
- ^ Wilkinson, Marian (27 September 2007). "NSW trial for clean power from coal". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
- ^ Welch, Dylan (15 November 2007). "Activists seize coal plant". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
- ^ "Plant overview: Munmorah". Carbon Monitoring for Action. Center for Global Development. 2007. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
External links
- Delta Electricity page on Munmorah