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Liddell Power Station is a coal-fired
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 GEC steam driven turbine
alternator 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.Gor ...
s for a combined electrical capacity of . However, as at April 2018, its operating capacity has been assessed at . Commissioned between 1971 and 1973, the station is located adjacent to Lake Liddell near
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 Engla ...
in the Hunter Region of Australia. It is expected to be fully closed down by April 2023.


History

In September 1964, the Government of New South Wales announced its intention to build the Liddell Power Station adjacent to Lake Liddell. The first of four generators was completed in 1971, two more in 1972, and the fourth in 1973. At the time of its completion, Liddell was the most powerful generating station in Australia. Liddell was the first major power station in New South Wales to be built inland, using fresh water for cooling instead of the more abundant salt water used in coastal power stations. To accommodate this, Lake Liddell was expanded to provide more water requiring an 11 kilometre section of the
Main Northern railway line The Main North Line (also known as the Great Northern Railway) is a major railway in New South Wales, Australia. It runs through the Central Coast, Hunter and New England regions. The line was the original main line between Sydney and Brisban ...
to be rebuilt on a new alignment. The completion of Liddell aided in the retirement of power stations in Sydney, such as Balmain and Bunnerong. Originally the plant was fitted with the then-standard electrostatic precipitators for dust collection, and the more efficient fabric filters (as used at Eraring, Munmorah units 3 and 4, Vales Point 5+6, Bayswater and Mount Piper) were retrofitted in the early 1990s, reducing particulate emissions to a barely visible level. Much of the coal is supplied by overland conveyors from mines it shares with the nearby Bayswater Power Station. In 2007, a project commenced at Liddell to replace some of the station's boiler feed-water by hot water from a solar thermal array. As of March 2007, the project was at a second-stage prototype but had not been connected to the power station. Subsequently the 9 MW solar section was added to the Liddell coal-fired generator, but has now effectively been closed. Analysts say the incentive to use the solar boost was reduced by the removal of the
carbon price Carbon pricing (or pricing), also known as cap and trade (CAT) or emissions trading scheme (ETS), is a method for nations to reduce global warming. The cost is applied to greenhouse gas emissions in order to encourage polluters to reduce the co ...
and excess coal supply. Liddell power station was owned by the Electricity Commission of New South Wales, with ownership transferred in 1996 to Macquarie Generation. In September 2014 Liddell was included in the sale of Macquarie Generation by the New South Wales government to AGL Energy.


Alternative fuel sources

In addition to the coal-fired steam turbines, Liddell runs two 25 MW
oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
-fired gas turbines and an 0.85 MW mini- hydroelectric generator. It is also ''"licensed to co-fire plant biomass and coal to produce electricity"'', which essentially means it can use
sawdust Sawdust (or wood dust) is a by-product or waste product of woodworking operations such as sawing, sanding, milling, planing, and routing. It is composed of small chippings of wood. These operations can be performed by woodworking machine ...
and wood shavings from the nearby
timber industry Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...
as a portion of its fuel, replacing up to 5% of its coal requirements. In practice, however, biomass accounts for only about 0.5% of Liddell's output.


Greenhouse emissions

Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates Liddell power station emits 14.70 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 introduced 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. The scheme has impacted 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. a
Freedom of Information Freedom of information is freedom of a person or people to publish and consume information. Access to information is the ability for an individual to seek, receive and impart information effectively. This sometimes includes "scientific, Indigeno ...
request in 2018 revealed that Liddell is allowed to emit three times more than the best practice-allowed amount of nitrogen oxide.


Expected closure

AGL announced in 2015 and reaffirmed in 2017 that it intends to close the Liddell Power Station in 2022. The closure of this and other coal-burning power stations in Australia led the
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Malcolm Turnbull Malcolm Bligh Turnbull (born 24 October 1954) is an Australian former politician and businessman who served as the 29th prime minister of Australia from 2015 to 2018. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. Turnbull grad ...
to seek advice from the Australian Energy Market Operator on extending the life of a number of them, to head off anticipated future electricity shortages. Turnbull said the government had been advised that if the Liddell plant were to close in 2022, there would be a 1000MW gap in
base load The base load (also baseload) is the minimum level of demand on an electrical grid over a span of time, for example, one week. This demand can be met by unvarying power plants, dispatchable generation, or by a collection of smaller intermittent e ...
, dispatchable power generation. The Turnbull Government asked AGL to keep Liddell open beyond 2022, or to sell the Liddell Power Plant to
Alinta Energy Alinta Energy is an Australian electricity generating and gas retailing private company owned by Hong Kong-based Chow Tai Fook Enterprises (CTFE). It was sold for $4 billion and was approved Treasurer Scott Morrison in 2017. Alinta Energy has an ...
. In August 2019, AGL announced that three of the turbines would be able to be kept running until April 2023, to ensure reliable power supply to New South Wales during the 2022–23 summer. 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 Liddell. Both are owned by AGL Energy 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. After Liddell's closure, the site is planned to house a big battery of at least 150 MW. The first turbine was closed in April 2022, with the other three turbines planned to close in April 2023.


Operations

The generation table use
eljmkt nemlog
to obtain generation values for each year. Records date back to 2011.


See also

*
Energy in Australia Energy in Australia is the production in Australia of energy and electricity, for consumption or export. Energy policy of Australia describes the politics of Australia as it relates to energy. Australia is a net energy exporter, and was the ...


References


External links


Proposed 38 MW solar thermal "coal saver" plant at LiddellSolar thermal plant at the Liddell Power Station gets government support
{{Hunter Region places and items of interest Coal-fired power stations in New South Wales Muswellbrook Shire Energy infrastructure completed in 1971 1971 establishments in Australia