❓ A WA parliamentary question seeks detailed information on power purchase agreements, coal-fired power stations, and Synergy's maintenance spending. The Minister provides some data but cites commercial confidentiality for PPA details.
AnsweredQoN 3306Legislative Council
QuestionView source ↗
(1) Will the Minister provide a list of all of the Power Purchase Agreements signed in the last ten years, detailing which companies were contracted, for what capacity, which fuel was to be used in the electricity generation and what proportion overall is from renewable sources? (2) Will the Minister provide a list of all the coal fired power stations, including the various stages of those plants, in the South West interconnected system and the year that they were built? (3) Will the Minister outline the life expectancy of a coal fired power station? (4) For the coal fired power stations owned by Synergy, will the Minister outline the availability of these plants over the last five years taking into account all downtime due to planned and unplanned maintenance? (5) For the coal fired power stations owned by Synergy, will the Minister outline the expected timeline for the closure of those power stations, given that many of them have exceeded their initial life expectancy? (6) How much has Synergy spent on maintenance, including all refurbishments and upgrades on its coal fired power stations over the last five years?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
15 September 2015
Responded by
Leader of the House representing the Minister for Energy
Response time
35 days
(1) No, this information is commercial in confidence.
(2) The table below details all of the coal fired power station units currently operational in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).
Facility Name
Facility Owner
Year Built
Notes
Collie Power Station
Synergy
1999
-
Muja G1
Vinalco
1965
Stage A
Muja G2
Vinalco
1966
Stage A
Muja G3
Vinalco
1968
Stage B
Muja G4
Vinalco
1969
Stage B
Muja G5
Synergy
1981
Stage C
Muja G6
Synergy
1981
Stage C
Muja G7
Synergy
1986
Stage D
Muja G8
Synergy
1986
Stage D
Bluewaters Power Station Phase 1
Bluewaters Power
2009
-
Bluewaters Power Station Phase 2
Bluewaters Power
2009
-
Worsley Multi-Fuel Co-Generation Plant
GE
2012
Can co-fire with up to 30% Biomass (wood waste).
Note that Muja Power Station was built in four distinct stages: A, B, C and D each consisting of two units. This table has divided these stages into individual units as the IMO deals with these Facilities on a per unit basis.
(3) There is little in the way of definitive data with regard to the life expectancy of a coal fired power station and what is publically available is somewhat contradictory. Individual generation facilities life expectancy will be affected by the initial design, relative efficiency and maintenance practices.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a large coal-fired generating units are usually designed to operate with a minimum of modification for at least 25 years. Yet, units exceeding 25 years operational service today account for more than 45% of the global coal-fired power generating capacity. It is standard procedure to extend the life of a coal fired power plant to 40 years, and some units have operated for more than 50 years. These life extensions are achieved by refurbishing boiler parts, upgrading the turbines, and adding flue gas cleaning to meet emission regulations.
According to the US National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners the average life of coal-fired power plants is 40 years.
(4) Coal fleet availability over the last five years has averaged 79.6% (Vinalco plant has averaged 88%). This has included significant half-life refurbishments and upgrades, as is common industry practice for plants at this stage of their operating service This work has been undertaken during periods of low demand when the plants would not normally be dispatched to ensure high availability during high load (particularly summer ) periods.
(5) The timeline of all of Synergy's assets are reviewed reularly in light of changing operational and regulatory requirements.
(6) Total spend for all coal fired Synergy plant over the preceding five years is $631,696,892.
(2) The table below details all of the coal fired power station units currently operational in the South West Interconnected System (SWIS).
Facility Name
Facility Owner
Year Built
Notes
Collie Power Station
Synergy
1999
-
Muja G1
Vinalco
1965
Stage A
Muja G2
Vinalco
1966
Stage A
Muja G3
Vinalco
1968
Stage B
Muja G4
Vinalco
1969
Stage B
Muja G5
Synergy
1981
Stage C
Muja G6
Synergy
1981
Stage C
Muja G7
Synergy
1986
Stage D
Muja G8
Synergy
1986
Stage D
Bluewaters Power Station Phase 1
Bluewaters Power
2009
-
Bluewaters Power Station Phase 2
Bluewaters Power
2009
-
Worsley Multi-Fuel Co-Generation Plant
GE
2012
Can co-fire with up to 30% Biomass (wood waste).
Note that Muja Power Station was built in four distinct stages: A, B, C and D each consisting of two units. This table has divided these stages into individual units as the IMO deals with these Facilities on a per unit basis.
(3) There is little in the way of definitive data with regard to the life expectancy of a coal fired power station and what is publically available is somewhat contradictory. Individual generation facilities life expectancy will be affected by the initial design, relative efficiency and maintenance practices.
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), a large coal-fired generating units are usually designed to operate with a minimum of modification for at least 25 years. Yet, units exceeding 25 years operational service today account for more than 45% of the global coal-fired power generating capacity. It is standard procedure to extend the life of a coal fired power plant to 40 years, and some units have operated for more than 50 years. These life extensions are achieved by refurbishing boiler parts, upgrading the turbines, and adding flue gas cleaning to meet emission regulations.
According to the US National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners the average life of coal-fired power plants is 40 years.
(4) Coal fleet availability over the last five years has averaged 79.6% (Vinalco plant has averaged 88%). This has included significant half-life refurbishments and upgrades, as is common industry practice for plants at this stage of their operating service This work has been undertaken during periods of low demand when the plants would not normally be dispatched to ensure high availability during high load (particularly summer ) periods.
(5) The timeline of all of Synergy's assets are reviewed reularly in light of changing operational and regulatory requirements.
(6) Total spend for all coal fired Synergy plant over the preceding five years is $631,696,892.
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