Reeves Plains Power Station

Reeves Plains Power Station is a proposal from Alinta Energy to build a gas-fired power station at Reeves Plains between Gawler and Mallala in South Australia. The proposed site borders both the Moomba-Adelaide gas pipe and an electricity transmission line.[1] The power station is proposed to use six gas turbines to produce up to 300 megawatts (400,000 hp) of electricity. It is expected to be operated as a peaking plant rather than running full time. The primary source of fuel will be the gas pipeline, however the plant will also be able to operate on diesel fuel, and will have diesel storage on site.[2] Stage 1 is expected to only be two or three of the turbines, generating 100 to 150 MW of electricity.[3] The power station was originally expected to take 12 months to build, and be commissioned in January 2019.[4] An extension of time request granted an additional 12 months in February 2019, but as of November 2019, the Alinta board had not yet decided to make the investment.[5]

Existing overhead lines

Reeves Plains Power Station
Country
  • Australia
Coordinates34.504°S 138.611°E / -34.504; 138.611
StatusProposed
Construction costA$450M
Owner(s)Alinta Energy
Operator(s)Alinta Energy
Thermal power station
Primary fuelNatural gas
Secondary fuelDiesel
Turbine technologyGas turbine
Power generation
Make and modelGeneral Electric LM6000 PF Sprint
Units plannedSix
Nameplate capacityUp to 300 MW

History

Alinta Energy had previously operated the coal-fired power stations in South Australia known as Northern Power Station and the older Playford A and Playford B Power Stations, all near Port Augusta. It closed the last of these power stations in 2016, and since then had not been involved in generating electricity in South Australia. Both Alinta and the state government were widely criticised for closing the coal power stations when the state experienced a major blackout during a storm in September 2016.

Ten years earlier, in March 2007, Flinders Power (now owned by Alinta Energy, and was the operating subsidiary for the Port Augusta power stations) had proposed to spend A$350M to build a 450MW gas-fired power station at Redbanks only one kilometre further north than the Reeves Plains proposal.[6] However the Redbanks power station was never built.

The development application for Reeves Plains was submitted on 12 October 2017 and opened for public comment on 8 November the same year.[7] It received approval from John Rau, the Minister for Planning on 16 February 2018, the last day the government could make major decisions before the state election.[8][9] Alinta had not yet completed its internal investment case and received approval from its board to proceed to construction.[10]

In September 2018, Alinta chief executive Jeff Dimery said that it had failed to get enough support from customers to reduce the investment risk of building the power station.[11] The project was one of 12 projects shortlisted in March 2019 from 66 registrations of interest in the Australian Government's Underwriting New Generation Investments program.[12]

References
  1. "Reeves Plains Power Station Proposal". Alinta Energy. 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 11 September 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  2. Staggard, Tom (21 June 2017). "Gas station proposed for Plains". The Bunyip. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  3. Hanifie, Sowaibah; staff (14 July 2017). "Alinta Energy drafting plans for 300MW power plant north of Adelaide". ABC News.
  4. O'Brien, Bec (21 June 2017). "Plains power plant play - Alinta's plans for $450m facility near Mallala". Plains Producer. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  5. "Reeves Plains Power Station Proposal". Alinta Energy. Retrieved 6 November 2019. We are continuing to develop a detailed investment case to ultimately be considered by the Alinta Energy Board.
  6. WILLIAMS, MATT; WHEATLEY, KIM (5 March 2007). "Exclusive: Two new power plants for SA". The Advertiser. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
  7. Alinta Energy (8 November 2017). "Application on Notification" (PDF). South Australian Planning Commission, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure. 312/V005/17. Retrieved 11 November 2017.
  8. Langenberg, Adam (15 March 2018). "Alinta Energy gas-fired power plant approved day before Government went to polls". The Advertiser. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  9. John Rau. "Development approval letter" (PDF). 312/V005/17. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  10. "Reeves Plains Power Station Proposal". Alinta Energy. Retrieved 16 March 2018.
  11. Macdonald-Smith, Angela (27 September 2018). "Alinta Energy CEO sees $170m coal power upgrade as a safe bet". The Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  12. "Underwriting New Generation Investments program". Australian Government Department of the Environment and Energy. 28 February 2019. Archived from the original on 28 February 2019.


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