The Newport Power Station is a complex of power stations in the suburb of Newport, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Newport A, B, and C coal-fired plants operated at the site between 1918 and the 1970s, while the Newport D 500 MW gas-fired peak load plant has operated since 1981.
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Newport 'A' was established as a coal-fired power station by the Victorian Railways in 1918 to supply energy for the electrification of the suburban rail system by the Victorian Railways. The plant also supplied bulk electricity to the Melbourne City Council Electric Supply Department, the Melbourne Electric Supply Company, and the State Electricity Commission of Victoria. The plant was transferred to the SECV in 1951, when the total capacity was 95.5 MW.
The SECV opened their Newport 'B' station in 1923 to supply electricity to Melbourne until the Yallourn power station entered service. Of 90 MW capacity, the plant was originally operated by the Victorian Railways, but control was transferred to the SECV in 1939. In 1950 the Newport 'C' station of 120 MW capacity was opened by the SECV after wartime delays. The power station boilers were originally fuelled by imported New South Wales black coal, but were converted to burn brown coal briquettes in the 1950s. Use of the plants declined with the opening of newer power stations in Latrobe Valley, being used for peak loads in later years.
Newport 'D' is the current power station on the site. Originally proposed by the State Electricity Commission as a pair of 500 MW generation units in the 1971, trade union, local resident and environmental protests delayed construction of the plant. A stalemate ensued, with the Victorian State Government and the Victorian Trades Hall Council permitting an independent 'Newport Review Panel' to be set up in December 1976 to examine the power station proposals. Both parties agreed that the decision of the panel would be final.
In April 1977 the final decision was made by the panel, that the power station at Newport would proceed but with only one 500 MW generator unit, as a result the gas turbine operated Jeeralang Power Station was opened in the Latrobe Valley.[1] The power station is used for meeting peak loads to the electricity grid. Since the privatisation of the Victorian electricity system in the 1990s, the power station has been operated by Ecogen Energy, until purchased by Babcock & Brown Power in 2006,[2] who sold out to co-shareholder Industry Funds Management in 2008.[3]
Newport D was built for the SECV by International Combustion Australia Limited, Rydalmere, NSW.
Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 0.49 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year.[4] The Australian Government has announced the introduction of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme commencing in 2012 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.
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