Bayswater Power Station is a
bituminous (black) coal-powered
thermal power station
A thermal power station is a type of power station in which heat energy is converted to electrical energy. In a steam-generating cycle heat is used to boil water in a large pressure vessel to produce high-pressure steam, which drives a stea ...
with four
Tokyo Shibaura Electric (Japan)
steam driven turbo alternators
An alternator is an electrical generator that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form of alternating current. For reasons of cost and simplicity, most alternators use a rotating magnetic field with a stationary armature.Gord ...
for a combined capacity of . Commissioned between 1985 and 1986, the station is located from
Muswellbrook
Muswellbrook ( ) is a town in the Upper Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia, about north of Sydney and north-west of Newcastle.
Geologically, Muswellbrook is situated in the northern parts of the Sydney basin, bordering the New Englan ...
, and from
Singleton
Singleton may refer to:
Sciences, technology Mathematics
* Singleton (mathematics), a set with exactly one element
* Singleton field, used in conformal field theory Computing
* Singleton pattern, a design pattern that allows only one instance ...
in the
Hunter Region
The Hunter Region, also commonly known as the Hunter Valley, is a region of New South Wales, Australia, extending from approximately to north of Sydney. It contains the Hunter River and its tributaries with highland areas to the north and so ...
of
New South Wales
)
, nickname =
, image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, es ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
.
Prior to September 2014 Bayswater Power Station was part of NSW Government power producer, Macquarie Generation. Macquarie Generation was acquired by
AGL Energy
AGL Energy Ltd () is an Australian listed public company involved in both the generation and retailing of electricity and gas for residential and commercial use. AGL is Australia's largest electricity generator, and the nation's largest carbo ...
in September 2014.
History
The first generator was completed in 1985, and the remaining three generators progressively that same year and throughout 1986.
Bayswater draws its cooling water from the
Hunter River Hunter River may refer to:
*Hunter River (New South Wales), Australia
*Hunter River (Western Australia)
*Hunter River, New Zealand
*Hunter River (Prince Edward Island), Canada
**Hunter River, Prince Edward Island, community on Hunter River, Canada
...
under water entitlements negotiated with the
government of New South Wales
The Government of New South Wales, also known as the NSW Government, is the Australian state democratic administrative authority of New South Wales. It is currently held by a coalition of the Liberal Party and the National Party. The Governmen ...
. The
Barnard River Scheme The Barnard River Scheme is an inter-basin water transfer system in New South Wales, which can transfer water from the Barnard River in the upper Manning River catchment over the Mount Royal Range into the Hunter River.
The scheme was constructed ...
also allows Bayswater and Liddell to transfer water from the upper
Manning River
Manning River (Birpai language, Biripi: ''Boolumbahtee''), an open and Breakwater (structure), trained mature wind wave, wave dominated estuary#Lagoon-type or bar-built, barrier estuary, is located in the Northern Tablelands and Mid North Coast ...
catchment into the Hunter River for their use. Much of the coal is supplied by overland
conveyors
A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more pulleys (sometimes referred to ...
from mines it shares with the nearby
Liddell Power Station
Liddell Power Station is a coal-fired thermal power station with four GEC steam driven turbine alternators for a combined electrical capacity of .
However, as at April 2018, its operating capacity has been assessed at . Commissioned betwee ...
.
Coal consumption is around per annum and produces around of electricity a year. This is enough power for 2 million average Australian homes and families.
Greenhouse emissions
Carbon Monitoring for Action
The Center for Global Development (CGD) is a nonprofit think tank based in Washington, D.C., and London that focuses on international development.
History
It was founded in November 2001 by former senior U.S. official Edward W. Scott, direc ...
estimates this power station emits 19.80 million tonnes of
greenhouse gases
A greenhouse gas (GHG or GhG) is a gas that absorbs and emits radiant energy within the thermal infrared range, causing the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere are water vapor (), carbon dioxide (), methane ...
each year as a result of burning coal. In 2010 the Australian Government announced the introduction of a
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (or CPRS) was a cap-and-trade emissions trading scheme for anthropogenic greenhouse gases proposed by the Rudd government, as part of its climate change policy, which had been due to commence in Australia in ...
to help
combat climate change. It is expected to impact on emissions from power stations. The National Pollutant Inventory provides details of a range of pollutant emissions, including
CO, estimated at for the year ending 30 June 2011.
In 2009, the power station was the subject of "the first ever legal action aimed at curbing greenhouse gas pollution from a coal-fired power station". Environmental activist
Pete Gray
Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to:
People
* Pete (given name)
* Pete (nickname)
* Pete (surname)
Fictional characters
* Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe
* Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
went to the
Land and Environment Court of New South Wales
The Land and Environment Court of New South Wales is a court within the Australian court hierarchy established pursuant to the to hear environmental, development, building and planning disputes. The Court’s jurisdiction, confined to the state ...
, asking it to find that the power station had been "wilfully or
negligently
Negligence (Lat. ''negligentia'') is a failure to exercise appropriate and/or ethical ruled care expected to be exercised amongst specified circumstances. The area of tort law known as ''negligence'' involves harm caused by failing to act as a ...
disposing of waste
..by emitting
carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide (chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is transpar ...
into the atmosphere in a manner that has harmed or is likely to harm the environment in contravention of section 115(1) of the ''Protection of the Environment Operations Act'' 1997", and sought an
injunction
An injunction is a legal and equitable remedy in the form of a special court order that compels a party to do or refrain from specific acts. ("The court of appeals ... has exclusive jurisdiction to enjoin, set aside, suspend (in whole or in pa ...
against the station. The case, ''Gray and Anor v Macquarie Generation'', was ongoing at the time of Gray's death from cancer in April 2011.
Mid-life upgrade
In December 2018, a proposed upgrade to the Bayswater Power Station was approved to be completed around the same time as the proposed closure of the
Liddell Power Station
Liddell Power Station is a coal-fired thermal power station with four GEC steam driven turbine alternators for a combined electrical capacity of .
However, as at April 2018, its operating capacity has been assessed at . Commissioned betwee ...
in 2022. Both are owned by
AGL Energy
AGL Energy Ltd () is an Australian listed public company involved in both the generation and retailing of electricity and gas for residential and commercial use. AGL is Australia's largest electricity generator, and the nation's largest carbo ...
and consume coal from the same mine. The upgrade approval did not impose tighter air emission controls, however AGL claimed that the closure of Liddell would result in a net improvement in air quality. The upgrade will increase the rated capacity of three turbines on the four generating units, increasing the capacity of each unit by 25MW whilst slightly decreasing the amount of coal consumed.
Plant information
Boilers
*Steam pressure:
*Steam temperature:
*Height:
Turbo alternators
*Number in use: 4
*Manufacturer: Tokyo Shibaura Electric Company, (Toshiba) Limited, Japan.
*Operating speed 3,000 rpm
*Alternator voltage: 23 kV
*Rating:
*Length:
*Weight:
Turbine house
*Length:
*Height:
*Width:
Emission stacks
*Height:
*Diameter at base:
*Diameter at top:
Cooling towers
*Height:
*Diameter at base:
*Diameter at top:
Operations
The generation table use
eljmkt nemlogto obtain generation values for each year. Records date back to 2011.
References
External links
Macquarie Generationpage on Bayswater
{{Hunter Region places and items of interest
Coal-fired power stations in New South Wales
Muswellbrook Shire
Main North railway line, New South Wales