Kogan Creek Power Station
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The Kogan Creek Power Station is a 750 megawatt coal fired power station owned by
CS Energy CS Energy is an Australia-based electricity generating company fully owned by the Government of Queensland with its head office located in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. The company was established in 1997 and employs more than 500 staff. Jim Soor ...
on the
Darling Downs The Darling Downs is a farming region on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in southern Queensland, Australia. The Downs are to the west of South East Queensland and are one of the major regions of Queensland. The name was general ...
in
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
. The $1.2 billion plant is situated at
Brigalow ''Acacia harpophylla'', commonly known as brigalow, brigalow spearwood or orkor, is an endemic tree of Australia. The Aboriginal Australian group the Gamilaraay peoples know the tree as Barranbaa or Burrii. It is found in central and coast ...
, in the
Surat Basin The Surat Basin is a geological basin in eastern Australia. It is part of the Great Artesian Basin drainage basin of Australia. The Surat Basin extends across an area of 270,000 square kilometres and the southern third of the basin occupies a lar ...
between Dalby and Chinchilla. The power station uses supercritical steam technology, which produces lower
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 ...
emissions per energy unit delivered, and air-cooled
surface condenser A surface condenser is a water-cooled shell and tube heat exchanger installed to condense exhaust steam from a steam turbine in thermal power stations. These condensers are heat exchangers which convert steam from its gaseous to its liquid stat ...
s, which reduces water consumption. The plant consumes 90% less water when compared to conventional power stations through the use of dry cooling technology. The plant runs at 40 per cent efficiency, and requires 42 per cent less fuel input than conventional power stations.


Background

Kogan Creek consists of only one boiler-turbine-generator unit. At 750 MW, it is the largest single unit in Australia. Construction by a consortium led by Siemens commenced in 2004 and was completed in 2007. It was opened by the
Queensland Premier The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is a ...
Anna Bligh and Minister for Mines and Energy Geoff Wilson on 27 November 2007. The fuel source is the Kogan Creek coal deposit, which is also owned by CS Energy and will provide 2.8 million tonnes of
black coal Bituminous coal, or black coal, is a type of coal containing a tar-like substance called bitumen or asphalt. Its coloration can be black or sometimes dark brown; often there are well-defined bands of bright and dull material within the seams. It ...
annually. The coal is delivered to the power station via a 4 km long conveyor belt. The coal mine is operated by Golding Contractors, who has a contract to run the mine until 2018. The plant's 40% efficiency is reached raising the steam pressure to 250 bar at 560 °C.
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 4.33 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 Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when ...
. The Australian Government has 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 ...
commencing in 2010 which is expected to impact on emissions from power stations. Th
National Pollutant Inventory
provides details of other pollutant emissions, but, as at 23 November 2008, not CO2. A , 275kV
transmission line In electrical engineering, a transmission line is a specialized cable or other structure designed to conduct electromagnetic waves in a contained manner. The term applies when the conductors are long enough that the wave nature of the transmi ...
connects the power station to the
National Electricity Market The National Electricity Market (NEM) is an arrangement in Australia's electricity sector for the connection of the electricity transmission grids of the eastern and southern Australia states and territories to create a cross-state wholesale el ...
, providing power to
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , establishe ...
and
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 ...
.


Kogan Creek Solar Boost

In April 2011, the Kogan Creek Solar Boost project was officially launched. Funding for the project includes a $70 million commitment from CS Energy and a commitment of more than $34 million from the Australian Government, of which CS spent $50 million and
ARENA An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
spent $6.4 million. The project was to be constructed by Areva using superheated solar steam technology. Kogan Creek Solar Boost was to be the largest integration of solar technology with a coal-fired power station in the world. Construction started in 2011 and was originally scheduled for completion by 2013. Difficulties with the project and commercial issues delayed the project. It was stated that the project, involving the installation of a CLFR solar thermal system, was capable of generating 44 MW electrical at peak solar conditions. But additional sources state that the 44 MW capacity was not additional to the full 744 MW net capacity of Kogan Creek, rather was an estimated contribution towards the total generation. Instead, steam from the solar field was to be first further heated and then used to power the intermediate pressure turbine, thereby displacing coal. The project was expected to reduce carbon emissions by about 35,000 tonnes per year, which is 0.8% of emissions, at a cost of only A$3 per tonne of carbon for the first year's emissions alone. On 18 March 2016, CS Energy announced that the Solar Boost demonstration project would not be completed, blaming "technical and contractual problems". By 2017, the equipment was being dismantled. CS Energy recorded a $70 million impairment in its 2016 accounts because of the project. CS Energy explained in a report to ARENA why the project was cancelled. Kogan Creek being AREVA Solar's first commercial project, compounded by the supply chain inexperience, resulted in delays and rework. Works where suspended when an alternative local supplier had to be selected. The technology design was new and not completely optimised, causing more site labour. AREVA Solar treated the economiser boiler tubes with a "Solonyx" internally developed coating. But most of the economiser boiler tubes rusted both before and after installation. AREVA Solar stopped production of that coating after that. Culminating that, in August 2014, AREVA announced its solar business exit. Per CS Energy, the project (having no thermal conservation/storage capacity) had problems with "rapidly moving clouds". Site Manager Ian Canham noted he had observed multiple problems with Areva Solar communication and planning. Also, workers brought in from the US lacked safety training and safety gear. On the supply side, after sitting in 2011 floodwaters at the Port of Brisbane during a dispute between Areva and shipping company DHL, 80 per cent of pipes for the project were damaged by rust. Other steel ordered for the project was completely unusable and had to be scrapped. Some necessary parts became unavailable when a Newcastle supplier went out of business.


See also

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Coal mining in Australia Coal is mined in every state of Australia. The largest black coal resources occur in Queensland and New South Wales. About 70% of coal mined in Australia is exported, mostly to eastern Asia, and of the balance most is used in electricity gener ...
*
Energy policy of Australia The energy policy of Australia is subject to the regulatory and fiscal influence of all three levels of government in Australia, although only the State and Federal levels determine policy for primary industries such as coal. Federal policies ...
*
List of active power stations in Queensland This is a list of active power stations in Queensland, Australia. Candidates for this list must already be commissioned and capable of generating 1 MW or more of electricity. Queensland has a diverse range of power generating types. Coal fi ...
*
Solar power in Australia Solar power in Australia is a fast growing industry. As of September 2022, Australia's over 3.27 million solar PV installations had a combined capacity of 28,177 MW photovoltaic (PV) solar power, of which at least 4,258 MW was installed in th ...
*
List of largest power stations in the world This article lists the largest power stations in the world, the ten overall and the five of each type, in terms of current installed electrical capacity. Non-renewable power stations are those that run on coal, fuel oils, nuclear fuel, natural g ...


References


External links


Kogan Solar Boost Project

Kogan Creek Solar Boost


* ttps://www.powerengineeringint.com/articles/print/volume-14/issue-9/features/coal-fired-power-plants/new-generation-brings-major-change.html New generation brings major change {{EnergyQueensland Coal-fired power stations in Queensland Darling Downs Power stations in Queensland 2007 establishments in Australia Energy infrastructure completed in 2007