Tallawarra Power Station is a 435-megawatt (583,000 hp) combined cycle natural gas power station[1] in Yallah, New South Wales, Australia. Owned and operated by EnergyAustralia, the station is the first of its type in New South Wales[2] and produces electricity for the state during periods of high demand.[3] It is located on the western shore of Lake Illawarra.
| Tallawarra Power Station | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Country | Australia |
| Location | Yallah, New South Wales, Australia |
| Coordinates | 34°31′22″S 150°48′29″E / 34.52278°S 150.80806°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Commission date | 2009 |
| Owner | EnergyAustralia |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Natural gas |
| Combined cycle? | Yes |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational |
|
| Make and model | Alstom |
| Nameplate capacity | 435 megawatts (583,000 hp) |
| External links | |
| Commons | Related media on Commons |
The station comprises a 260-megawatt (350,000 hp) gas turbine and a 160-megawatt (210,000 hp) steam turbine unit[3] and has a total capacity of 435 megawatts (583,000 hp).[1] It uses many of the previous power station's structures including the cooling system channels from Lake Illawarra. The power station is connected to the state grid via a 132 kV switching station maintained by Endeavour Energy.
History
editTallawarra originally operated as a coal-fired power station beginning in 1954 and reaching full operation by 1961.[4] At its peak, it had a capacity output of 320 megawatts (430,000 hp). 'A' station had four 30-megawatt (40,000 hp) Thomson-Houston 2 stage (HP+LP) turbo generators. Steam was supplied by four Simon Carves pulverised fuel boilers at 140,000 kg/h (300,000 lb/h) at a pressure of 4.31 MPa (625 psi) and a temperature of 463 °C (865 °F). In 1960 "B" station was built having two 100-megawatt (130,000 hp) English Electric 3-stage turbo generators (No. 5+6). The generators were hydrogen-cooled but didn't have any stator water cooling. Steam was supplied by 2 ICAL pulverised coal burning boilers at a rate of 360,000 kg/h (800,000 lb/h) at a pressure of 11.6 MPa (1,680 psi) and a temperature of 538 °C (1,000 °F). The station closed in 1989, and stood abandoned by the foreshore of Lake Illawarra. It was demolished over a ten-year period.[5]
In early 2003 the site was sold by Pacific Power to TRUenergy and construction of the gas-fired combined cycle plant began in November 2006. The plant consists of a gas turbine of 288 megawatts (386,000 hp) and a 3-stage steam turbine of 160 megawatts (210,000 hp) with a single 450-megawatt (600,000 hp) generator. A unique feature is the waste heat boiler with a super heater and two reheater sections for the IP and LP stages of the turbine. Overall thermal efficiency is 60%.[6] It was opened by Premier Nathan Rees on 18 March 2009.[7]
In 2021 construction began on Stage B, a 300+ MW expansion of the existing Stage A power station and the construction of a 420MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine Power Plant.[8] It was commissioned in June 2024.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Tallawarra Power Station". EnergyAustralia. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ^ "Tallawarra power station". TRUenergy. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ a b "Tallawarra Power Station FAQs". TRUenergy. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Yallah History". Wollongong City Library. Archived from the original on 18 June 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Transforming Tallawarra: GT26 based plant for booming New South Wales". Modern Power Systems. Archived from the original on 14 July 2011. Retrieved 28 September 2007.
- ^ "Tallawarra recent history". TRUenergy. Archived from the original on 27 March 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ "Tallawarra taking off in NSW". EcoGeneration. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ Tallwarra Stage B Clough
- ^ Tallawarra Stage B Project enters National Electricity Market Webuild 9 July 2024