September 24, 2012
Tarong Power Station has been recognised by Engineers Australia for two projects which delivered significant cost savings as well as environmental and safety outcomes.
Tarong Power Station won High Commendations at the annual Engineers Australia Queensland Division Engineering Excellence Awards for the power station’s Ash to Mine Void Project and Control System and Instrumentation Upgrade Project.
Tarong Power Station Site Manager Dennis Franklin said it was a great honour for the power station to receive the awards.
“We are very proud that the innovations and engineering brought to these projects have been recognised by Engineers Australia as engineering excellence,” Mr Franklin said.
“We strive to implement solutions that help to maintain a safe workplace for our employees and contractors, and protect the environment, while reducing our operating costs.”
The project to deposit ash from the Tarong power stations into old mine voids at Meandu Mine, 4.5km away was commissioned in March 2010 and has resulted in an efficient and environmentally responsible ash disposal solution.
Ash is a by-product of burning coal and has historically been sent to the adjacent ash dam. This has been reaching maximum capacity and it has been necessary to identify additional ash storage facilities.
“The ash to mine void project enables ash to be stored for the remaining planned life of Tarong and Tarong North power stations, currently understood to be to 2037,” Mr Franklin said.
“The process is highly automated, requiring minimal operator intervention and delivering a safer working environment.”
Mr Franklin said the control system upgrade at the power station was significant in achieving superior generation, efficiency, performance, safety and flexibility to meet changing business and market demands.
The project combined two control rooms into one new, purpose-built control room.
“Through the click of a mouse, operators can easily identify and resolve plant issues, providing safer and more efficient operations,” Mr Franklin said.
“With this advanced technology, we have reduced the environmental impact of an aging coal-fired power station by optimising efficiency, resulting in a significant reduction in carbon emissions and fuel consumption.”
The upgrade also included a state-of-the-art control system simulator, which delivers realistic training scenarios for trainee operators.
