Bluewaters Power Station

Bluewaters Power Station was the first privately owned, coal-fired power station in Western Australia. It was built by Griffin Energy in 2009 and is the newest coal-fired power station in Australia.[2][3] The site is 4.5 km (2.8 mi) northeast of Collie.

Bluewaters Power Station
Location of Bluewaters Power Station in Western Australia
CountryAustralia
LocationCollie, Western Australia
Coordinates33°19′50″S 116°13′40″E
StatusOperational
Construction began1979
Commission date2009
Owner(s)Sumitomo Group, Kansai Electric[1]
Thermal power station
Primary fuelBituminous coal
Power generation
Units operational2 x 208 MW
Nameplate capacity416 MW
External links
Websitewww.bluewatersps.com.au

The plant consists of two 208 megawatts units, running on sub-bituminous coal. The boilers were constructed by IHI while the turbines and generators were supplied by Alstom. EPC contractors were Mitsui and Hitachi Plant Technologies.

Griffin Coal appointed administrators KordaMentha after financial difficulty in 2009, however the power station continued to operate[4][5] until its purchase by Sumitomo Group and Kansai Electric in 2013.[1] As of 2022, the power station "supplies about 15 per cent of the electricity used in" the South West Interconnected System, Western Australia's main power grid.[6] In December 2022 the Government of Western Australia announced a grant to the receivers and managers of the insolvent coal mine Griffin Coal to enable it to continue supplying the power station over the Western Australian summer.[7]

Community consultation commenced in 2009 for a proposed expansion and the WA Government approved it in 2010. The proposal is to add two identical units and bring the capacity of the plant to 830 megawatts. As of 2018 it remains on hold, with two years remaining until they are required to re-apply for approvals.[8] In 2020, the owners wrote "down the value of" their asset "to zero, wiping out a $1.2 billion investment in the face of an onslaught of renewable energy."[3]

References
  1. "Sumitomo Group, Kansai Electric acquire Australian power business". Japan Today. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  2. "Coal-Fired Plants in Western Australia". Power Plants Around the World Photo Gallery. Archived from the original on 19 July 2009. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  3. Mercer, Daniel (17 December 2020). "Bluewaters coal-fired power station written off as worthless as renewables rise". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
  4. "KordaMentha partners appointed Voluntary Administrators over Griffin". Archived from the original on 18 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  5. Kruger, Colin (22 February 2010). "Collapse snares Griffin Energy". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  6. Mercer, Daniel (18 December 2022). "Dev Sindhu: The mystery man at the centre of a deepening crisis threatening an Australian energy grid". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  7. Stephens, Kate; Pancia, Anthony; De Poloni, Gian (20 December 2022). "McGowan government hands cash to struggling Griffin Coal amid looming summer energy crisis". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
  8. Mercer, Daniel (6 May 2015). "Bluewaters gets five-year extension". The West Australian. Retrieved 17 December 2020.
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