Energy Brix Power Station

Energy Brix Power Station

Energy Brix Power Station and the associated briquette factory.
Location of the Energy Brix Power Station in Victoria, Australia.
Country Australia
Location Morwell, Victoria
Coordinates 38°15′16″S 146°24′49″E / 38.25444°S 146.41361°E / -38.25444; 146.41361Coordinates: 38°15′16″S 146°24′49″E / 38.25444°S 146.41361°E / -38.25444; 146.41361
Status Operational
Owner(s) EnergyAustralia (Yallourn W)
Thermal power station
Primary fuel Brown coal
Power generation
Units operational 170 MW (230,000 hp)

The Energy Brix Power Station was a brown coal–fired thermal power station located at Morwell, in Victoria, Australia. The power station was used to supply electricity for the retail market, as well as the production of briquettes in the adjacent Energy Brix briquette works. It was shut down in August 2014.

History

A map of the major towns and coal-fired power stations in the Latrobe Valley.

Work on the power station and briquette works commenced in 1949 by the State Electricity Commission of Victoria (SECV), when field works on the Morwell open cut mine commenced, and briquette production equipment was ordered from Germany. It was originally known as the Morwell Power Station. Production at the plant started in 1956, with the briquettes produced used for domestic and industrial use, as well as town gas production for Melbourne at an adjacent gasworks by the Gas and Fuel Corporation of Victoria. Morwell Station consisted of one 20MW, three 30MW and one 60MW Metropolitan Vickers turbo generators. Steam was supplied by pulverized brown coal-fired boilers made by Mitchell[1]

The Briquette Factory was taken off for the last time in August 2014. The last boiler and turbine in the power station was taken off on September 8, 2014. Around 75 people lost their jobs not including many more employees that were not directly employed by the Briquette Factory and Power Station. In its heyday the "Morwell Briquette and Power" as it was then known employed around 1000 people and the power station was designed to be what's known as an "Island Station", which meant it could be used to supply power needed to run start up plant at other power stations in the area if for some reason they all were temporarily shut down.

Privatisation

The power station and briquette works were split from the SECV in November 1993, when former Morwell Briquette and Power division was established as a government business enterprise named Energy Brix Australia. At the time of the split, the plant employed 370 people, and exported 80,000 tonnes (79,000 long tons) of briquettes to Germany, Slovenia, Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Cyprus.[2] Energy Brix Australia was sold on 4 August 1996.[3] In February 2006 a licence was granted to the company for the retail sale of electricity from its plant.[4]

Heat was reclaimed from the turbine bled steam produced by electricity generation, and used to dry brown coal from up to 65% moisture down to 10% for use in coal briquettes manufactured on the site for both domestic consumption and export. The Energy Brix power station has five steam turbines with a combined generation capacity of 170 megawatts (230,000 hp).[5] The power station sources raw brown coal for briquette production from the Yallourn and Loy Yang open cut mines, and its steaming coal for power generation from the Morwell open cut mine.[6]

Carbon Monitoring for Action estimates this power station emits 1.31 million tonnes (1.29×10^6 long tons) of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal.[7] The Australian Government has announced the introduction of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme commencing in 2010 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.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Edwards, Cecil (1969). Brown Power. A jubilee history of the SECV. State Electricity Commission of Victoria.
  2. ↑ "Exciting future for Energy Brix Australia" (Press release). Parliament of Victoria.
  3. ↑ "Show Details for Energy Brix Australia Corporation". Search: Agency archives. Victorian Government. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007.
  4. ↑ "Energy Brix Australia Licence Application". Essential Services Commission. Victorian Government. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007.
  5. ↑ "Electricity". HRL Group of Companies. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007.
  6. ↑ "Brown Coal". Energy Brix Australia.
  7. ↑ "Energy Brix Power Station". Carbon Monitoring for Action. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
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