Bell Bay Power Station
| Bell Bay Power Station | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Country | Australia |
| Location | Bell Bay, Tasmania |
| Coordinates | 41°8′31″S 146°54′9″E / 41.14194°S 146.90250°ECoordinates: 41°8′31″S 146°54′9″E / 41.14194°S 146.90250°E |
| Status | Peak demand |
| Commission date | 1971 |
| Decommission date | 2009 |
| Owner(s) | Hydro Tasmania |
| Thermal power station | |
| Primary fuel | Natural gas |
| Type | 2 steam turbines |
| Combined cycle? | No |
| Power generation | |
| Units operational | 0 |
| Nameplate capacity | 345 megawatts (463,000 hp) |
The Bell Bay Power Station was decommissioned in 2009. It is located adjacent to, and is often confused with, the Tamar Valley Power Station, in Bell Bay, on the Tamar River, Tasmania, Australia. At the time of decommissioning, it had two 120 megawatts (160,000 hp) gas fired steam turbines and three 35 megawatts (47,000 hp) gas turbines, giving a total capacity of 345 megawatts (463,000 hp) of electricity.
In response to a prolonged dry period in Tasmania in 1967 and 1968, the then Hydro-Electric Commission sought to diversify Tasmania's electricity supply away from hydro-electricity. This resulted in the first unit of the Bell Bay Power Station being commissioned in 1971: a single 120 megawatts (160,000 hp) oil-fired Babcock & Wilcox, single drum, reheat boiler, supplying steam to an NEI Parsons steam turbine with hydrogen cooled generator (unit one). In 1974, a second near identical unit followed (unit two). Cooling water was via a once-through cooling system, drawing water directly from the Tamar River. Three 15,000 tonnes (17,000 tons) capacity fuel oil tanks supplied the 600 tonnes (660 tons) of fuel oil per day required to run each of the steam sets. Fuel oil was delivered by tank ship and discharged across a dedicated oil jetty at the site. The 110-metre (360 ft) tall stack is a distinctive feature in the area.
As the power station's primary role was to provide system security in the event of drought for Tasmania's predominantly hydro-electric based generation system it only was rarely called on to operate, resulting in intervals of five to eight years between periods of significant use.
In 2003, unit one was converted from fuel oil to natural gas when a pipeline from Victoria to Tasmania was established. This was followed in 2004 by conversion of unit two.
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