Muja Power Station
Muja Power Station is a power station 22 km east of Collie, Western Australia. It has eight steam turbines served by coal-fired boilers that together generate a total capacity of 854 MW of electricity. The coal is mined in the nearby Collie Sub-basin.
The station was first commissioned on 21 April 1966. Currently six of the eight turbines are running (Units 3 to 8). Muja has four 60MW units (Stages A & B), two 200 MW units (Stage C) and two 227 MW units (Stage D). The four smallest unit and least efficient units, Stages A and B, were closed in April 2007. In June 2008 it was announced that these older generator units would be recommissioned, due to a statewide natural gas shortage.[1]
According to the National Pollutant Inventory (NPI), Muja Power Station is one of the biggest emitters of air pollution in Australia, including high emissions of beryllium, fluoride and particulate matter.
Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 5.56 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal.[2]
2012 Explosion
In 2012 during the attempted recommissioning of stages A and B, an explosion occurred in Unit 3 at the refurbished A B area due to corroded piping.[3] A man was burnt, though the station continued to operate (Stage C,D) during the incident. An Australian Manufacturing Workers Union officer state secretary Steve McCartney had hailed the lack of casualties as “a miracle”.[4]
A & B Unit Mothball
On 25 June 2013, after spending $250m (AUD) on the planned recommissioning of units A & B, Premier Colin Barnett announced work had been postponed indefinitely, citing that these older generators are "mothballed".[5]
The Premier Colin Barnett has told Parliament no further work will be done on the generators for the time being, "The government has made a decision with respect to Muja A and B units; three and four continue to operate, units 1 and 2 are basically mothballed," he said.[6]
In the following months the work was completed quietly and as of 2014 the Muja A and B are used intermittently, primary during summer peak times.
References
- ↑ "WA gas crisis poses threat to economy". The Australian. www.theaustralian.news.com.au. 12 June 2008. Retrieved 2008-06-29.
- ↑ . Carbon Monitoring for Action. Retrieved on 23 November 2008
- ↑ http://www.colliemail.com.au/story/227915/man-burnt-in-muja-blast/
- ↑ "Muja Power Station Expolsion". The West. The West. June 2012. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ↑ "Government suspends work on Muja power station". ABC. ABC. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
- ↑ "Call for inquiry into Muja Power Station Fiasco". ABC. ABC. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 2013-06-25.
External links
Coordinates: 33°26′47″S 116°18′23″E / 33.44629°S 116.3065°E
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