Standard Page - 10 October, 2011
Twelve new coal-fired power stations are on the table for Australia
We have a choice – we can continue building more polluting power or we can have a clean energy future and become a global leaders in the new green economy.
Australia is in danger of locking itself into an economy fuelled by the most polluting energy source available. Twelve new coal-fired power stations are on the books in Australia, with the most advanced being the HRL brown coal project in Victoria.
If these plants are constructed, they will increase Australia's total annual greenhouse emissions by around 7 per cent.(1) We need to be reducing our emissions by 50 per cent.
Building new coal power stations will lock us into decades of pollution, polluting rivers and waterways, causing subsidence, and destroying some of Australia's finest agricultural land.
Location of proposed new coal power stations
The detail
Click on a state below to find out more details about the projects and estimated emissions.
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The largest expansion of coal power is in NSW, where there are proposals to build two new 2GW power stations – Bayswater II in the Hunter Valley and Mt Piper II in the Blue Mountains. Major upgrades and expansions to existing coal plants are also proposed.
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| Project | Description | Size
(MW) | GHG emissions (est.) | Company |
| Mt Piper |
Proposed new coal (or gas) power station |
2000 |
10,470,000 |
Delta Electricity |
| Bayswater |
Proposed new coal (or gas) power station |
2000 |
12,428,000 |
Macquarie Generation |
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The proposed Galilee coal power stations form part of a massive $7 billion coal project that plans to export 40 million tonnes of coal each year.
|
| Project | Description | Size
(MW) | GHG emissions (est.) | Company |
| Zero Gen |
Proposed new coal power station – with CCS* |
380 (net) |
930,000 |
Zero Gen (Queensland Government) |
| Galilee Phase 1 |
Proposed new coal power station and export coal mine |
450 |
2,345,000 |
Galilee Power |
| Galilee Phase 2 |
Proposed new coal power station and export coal mine |
450 |
2,345,000 |
Galilee Power |
| Wandoan |
Proposed new coal power station |
400 (net) |
643,000 |
Stanwell & GE |
| * Carbon capture and storage (CCS). |
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There are proposals to build two coal plants to support the controversial coal-to-liquids (CTL) technology championed by federal Minister for Resources and Energy, Martin Ferguson.*
The Arckaringa project plans are for an integrated 10 million barrel per year CTL plant with a 560 MW cogeneration power facility. The proponent, Altona, holds three exploration licences covering 2500 sq km in the northern portion of the Permian Arckaringa Basin in South Australia, which contains more than 7.5 billion tonnes of coal.
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| Project | Description | Size
(MW) | GHG emissions (est.) | Company |
| Arckaringa |
Coal-to-liquid plant with new coal power station |
560 (net) |
2,943,000 |
Altona Energy |
| Hybrid Energy |
Coal-to-liquid plant with new coal power station |
40 |
196,000 |
Strike Energy/
Hybrid Energy |
| * See Martin Ferguson's Speech to the Coal-to-liquids and Gas-to-liquids Conference (February 2008). |
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The proposed HRL coal power station received $50 million in handouts from the state government and a further $100 million from the federal government.
|
| Project | Description | Size
(MW) | GHG emissions (est.) | Company |
| HRL |
Proposed new brown coal power station, including a drying and gasification process. |
550 |
3,000,000 |
HRL |
|
The Bluewaters 2 power station was commissioned in late 2009, with a further three plants on the drawing board.
|
| Project | Description | Size
(MW) | GHG emissions (est.) | Company |
| Coolimba |
Proposed new coal power station |
450 |
3,800,000 |
Aviva |
| Bluewaters 3 |
Proposed new coal power station |
208 |
1,500,000 |
Griffin Energy |
| Bluewaters 4 |
Proposed new coal power station |
208 |
1,500,000 |
Griffin Energy |
| NATIONAL TOTALS |
Size (MW): 7696
Emissions (est.): 42,100,000 |
The national emissions total is based on the Bayswater and Mt Piper power stations in NSW going ahead as coal rather than gas, which is the more likely option given the availability of low-cost coal to the development sites. Data for this table has been compiled from the Electricity Supply Association of Australia, company statements and state government planning documents. References available on request.
Endnote
(1) Australia's total annual greenhouse emissions would increase by approximately 39 MtCO2-e (around 7 per cent). This is based on a national total of 551 MtCO2-e in 2008. See: National Greenhouse Gas Inventory: Accounting for the KYOTO target (May 2009).