Mount Piper Power Station

33°21′32″S 150°1′56″E / 33.35889°S 150.03222°E / -33.35889; 150.03222StatusOperationalCommission date1993Owner(s)EnergyAustraliaThermal power station Primary fuelCoalTurbine technologySteam turbinePower generation Units operational2 × 700 megawatts (940,000 hp)Make and modelTokyo Shibaura Electric (Japan)Nameplate capacity1,400 MWCapacity factor56.60% (average 2017-2021)Annual net output6,941 GW·h (average 2017-2021)External linksCommonsRelated media on Commons

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Mount Piper Power Station is a coal powered power station with two steam turbines with a combined generating capacity of 1,400 MW of electricity. It is located near Portland, in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia and owned by EnergyAustralia, a subsidiary of CLP Group. On 23 September 2021, it was announced that the closure of the power station is being brought forward from 2042 to 2040 at the latest. The power station employs 250 workers.^[1]

Construction

The first generator (Unit 2) was completed in 1992, and the second (Unit 1) in 1993. Units 3 and 4, although planned, were not built. It was the last power station built by the Electricity Commission of New South Wales (a body since abolished). Much of the design work done was undertaken in-house by the commission.

In 2009 Delta Electricity (the government owned enterprise that previously owned and managed the power station as a commercial entity) unofficially re-rated the units at Mount Piper from their original 660MW to 700MW.^[2]

In 2007 & early 2008 there was public talk of 'completing' the power station by using modern super-critical, dry-cooling tower, coal-fired units of up to 1000MW capacity which uses much less water from surrounding rivers.^[3]

On 7 April 2010 the New South Wales Department of Planning announced that approval had been given to Delta Electricity to 'complete' the station by installing 2000MW of new generating capacity.^[4]

Technical

Mount Piper draws its cooling water from Lyell Dam and Thomsons Creek Dam, both purpose-built for the station. Lyell Dam is located on the Coxs River 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. Large pumps draw water from the dam and transfer it to a pipeline built between Thompsons Creek Dam and Mount Piper. The power station taking what water it needs and the excess flowing into Thompsons Creek Dam. When no pumps are in service the water supply to the power station is gravity fed from Thompsons Creek Dam.

Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 9.08 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal.^[5] The National Pollutant Inventory^[6] provides details of other pollutant emissions, but, as at 23 November 2008, not CO₂.

Operations

Yearly generation (MWh) by unit
Year	Total	MP1	MP2
2011	10,242,151	5,163,830^[7]	5,078,321^[8]
2012	8,776,593	3,942,534^[9]	4,834,059^[10]
2013	9,854,146	5,340,532^[11]	4,513,614^[12]
2014	8,239,950	4,187,273^[13]	4,052,677^[14]
2015	5,467,455	2,796,720^[15]	2,670,735^[16]
2016	7,749,257	3,372,276^[17]	4,376,981^[18]
2017	7,344,075	4,189,078^[19]	3,154,997^[20]
2018	8,715,653	3,835,639^[21]	4,880,014^[22]
2019	4,691,506	2,423,968^[23]	2,267,538^[24]
2020	6,769,304	3,005,181^[25]	3,764,123^[26]
2021	7,185,315	3,870,977^[27]	3,314,338^[28]

References

^ Toscano, Nick; Foley, Mike (23 September 2021). "EnergyAustralia to close NSW coal power plant early". The Age.
^ "Mt Piper Power Station Extension Environmental Assessment" (PDF).
^ "Mt Piper Power Station Extension".
^ Hall, Louise (7 April 2010). "Approved: power plant with emissions equal to 2.9m cars". The Sydney Morning Herald.
^ "Carbon Monitoring for Action". Retrieved 23 November 2008.
^ "National Pollutant Inventory".
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External links

Delta Electricity page on Mount Piper

Energy in New South Wales

Generation

Biomass combustion	Broadwater Sugar Mill Broadwater Biomass Co-Gen Condong Sugar Mill Condong Biomass Co-Gen Harwood Sugar Mill Redbank Visy Paper, Tumut
Cogeneration	Amcor, Bomaderry BlueScope Steel, Port Kembla Macquarie University Stadium Australia University of Western Sydney Visy Paper, Smithfield
Hydro-electric	Bendeela Blowering Brown Mountain Burrendong Burrinjuck Chichester Copeton Glenbawn Guthega Hume Jindabyne Dam Mini Hydro Jounama Small Hydro Kangaroo Valley Keepit Kembla Grange Lostock Murray 1 Murray 2 Nymboida Oaky River Pindari Snowy 2.0 The Drop Tumut 1 Tumut 2 Tumut 3 and Micro Hydro Warragamba Williams River Dam (private) Wyangala
Solar generation	Beryl Bomen Broken Hill Coleambally Darlington Point Finley Griffith Jemalong CSP Jemalong Limondale Nevertire Nyngan Parkes Sunraysia
Wind farms	Bango Blayney Boco Rock Bodangora Capital Crookwell Crudine Ridge Cullerin Range Glen Innes Gullen Range Gunning Hampton Sapphire Taralga White Rock Woodlawn
Coal fired	Bayswater Eraring Mount Piper Vales Point
Natural gas	Appin Mine Belrose Colongra Earthpower Camelia Jacks Gully Liddell Lucas Heights I Lucas Heights II Shoalhaven Landfill Gas Project Smithfield Energy Facility Sydney Water, Malabar Tahmoor Tallawarra Teralba Tower Mine Uranquinty Wilga
Generation companies	Delta Electricity Eraring Energy (subsidiary of Origin) Macquarie Generation (subsidiary of AGL Energy) Snowy Hydro

Distribution

Distribution network operators	Ausgrid Endeavour Energy Essential Energy
Transmission network operators	TransGrid
Retail companies and brands	ActewAGL AGL Energy Click Energy Country Energy EnergyAustralia Integral Energy Origin Energy Powershop ReAmped Energy Red Energy