Mount Piper Power Station

Mount Piper Power Station
Country	Australia
Location	New South Wales
Coordinates	33°21′32″S 150°1′56″E
Status	Baseload
Commission date	1993
Owner(s)	Delta Electricity
Power station
Primary fuel	Coal
Generation units	2
Combined cycle?	No
Power generation
Maximum capacity	1400 MW

Mount Piper Power Station is a coal powered power station with two steam turbines with a combined generating capacity of 1,400 MW of electricity. It is located near Portland, in the Central West of New South Wales, Australia and owned by Delta Electricity, a corporation owned by the New South Wales Government.

Construction

The first generator (Unit 2) was completed in 1992, and the second (Unit 1) in 1993. Units 3 and 4, although planned, were not built. It was the last power station built by the Electricity Commission of New South Wales (a body since abolished). Much of the design work done was undertaken in-house by the Commission.

In 2009 Delta Electricity (the government owned enterprise that owns and manages the power station as a commercial entity) unofficially re-rated the units at Mount Piper from their original 660MW to 700MW.^{[citation needed]}

In 2007 & early 2008 there was public talk of 'completing' the power station but using modern super-critical, dry-cooling tower, coal-fired units of up to 1000MW capacity which uses much less water from surrounding rivers..^{[citation needed]}

On the 7th of April 2010 the New South Wales Department of Planning announced that approval had been given to Delta Electricity to 'complete' the station by installing 2000MW of new generating capacity.

Technical

Mount Piper draws its cooling water from Lyell Dam and Thomsons Creek Dam, both purpose built for the station. Lyell Dam is located on the Coxs River 20 kilometres (12 mi) away. Large pumps draw water from the dam and transfer it to a pipeline built between Thompsons Creek Dam and Mount Piper. The power station taking what water it needs and the excess flowing into Thompsons Creek Dam. When no pumps are in service the water supply to the power station is gravity fed from Thompsons Creek Dam.

Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 9.08 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal. The Australian Government has announced the introduction of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme commencing in 2010 to help combat climate change. It is expected to impact on emissions from power stations. The National Pollutant Inventory provides details of other pollutant emissions, but, as at 23 November 2008, not CO2.

See also

• Wallerawang Power Station

External links

• Delta Electricity page on Mount Piper