Liddell Power Station | |
---|---|
Country | Australia |
Location | New South Wales |
Coordinates | 32°22′19″S 150°58′38″E / 32.37194°S 150.97722°ECoordinates: 32°22′19″S 150°58′38″E / 32.37194°S 150.97722°E |
Status | Baseload |
Commission date | 1971-1973 |
Owner(s) | AGL Energy |
Thermal power station | |
Primary fuel | coal |
Secondary fuel | oil |
Type |
Steam turbine gas turbine |
Power generation | |
Units operational | 4 × 500 megawatts (670,000 hp) 2 × 25 megawatts (34,000 hp) 1 × 0.85 megawatts (1,140 hp) mini-hydro |
Make and model | GEC Turbine Generators Limited, Manchester, England |
Nameplate capacity | 2051 MW |
Website www |
Liddell Power Station is a coal-powered thermal power station with four 500 megawatts (670,000 hp) GEC (UK) steam driven turbo alternators for a combined electrical capacity of 2,000 megawatts (2,700,000 hp). Commissioned between 1971 and 1973, the station is located at Lake Liddell near Muswellbrook, in the Hunter Region, New South Wales, Australia.
Prior to September 2014 Liddell power station was part of NSW Government power producer, Macquarie Generation. Macquarie Generation was acquired by AGL Energy in September 2014.
The first generator 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. The completion of Liddell aided in the retirement of earlier power stations in Sydney, such as Bunnerong.
Originally fitted with the then-standard electrostatic precipitators for dust collection, the more efficient Fabric Filters (as used at Eraring, Munmorah units 3 and 4,Vales 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.
Liddell was the first major power station in NSW 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.
In addition to the coal power station, Liddell runs two 25 MW oil-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 and wood shavings from the nearby timber industry 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.