As one of Australia’s most operationally efficient coal-fired power stations, Stanwell Power Station plays an important role in ensuring security of electricity supply as Queensland transitions towards lower carbon energy generation.
During 2019/20, Stanwell Corporation invested more than $50.0 million at Stanwell Power Station to ensure it continued to operate efficiently and meet its environmental compliance obligations.
Stanwell Power Station Site Manager, Angie Zahra, said Stanwell Power Station’s emissions levels, as outlined in 2019/20 National Pollutant Inventory (NPI) data, reflected the fact the site was one of Australia’s largest, and most relied-on power stations.
“Our site operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week to meet Queensland’s energy demand,” she said.
“In 2019/20 we sent out more than 7,630 GWh of electricity – which is enough to power 10 cities the size of Rockhampton – and we did it while complying with all relevant emissions legislation and standards”.
Electricity sent out by Stanwell Power Station decreased by 3.0 per cent between 2018/19 and 2019/20. Particulate matter (PM2.5), sulphur oxide (SOx) and nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions all decreased in line with generation, with further improvements also achieved through improved combustion performance and coal quality.
Ms Zahra said the power station had proactively undertaken environmental monitoring on site and in surrounding areas.
“Our goal is to safeguard the wellbeing of the environment and neighbouring communities. We use electrostatic precipitators to capture particulates and conduct comprehensive air quality, surface water and groundwater monitoring to ensure we minimise our impact on the surrounding environment and community,” Ms Zahra said.
Stanwell Power Station measures and reports its emissions, using real time data that is collected by a continuous emissions monitoring system. Continuous emissions monitoring systems are considered to be the industry standard for accurate and reliable particulate emissions monitoring and reporting.
Stanwell has also undertaken extensive work on optimising combustion on Stanwell Power Station boilers, to control emissions and improve efficiency.
Stanwell is transforming and renewing its portfolio in response to changing market and consumer expectations, and to support Queensland’s transition to a lower carbon future. Stanwell is investigating opportunities to transition its portfolio by incorporating technologies such as hydrogen, energy storage, wind, solar and bioenergy.
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