April 29, 2016
A $40 million overhaul – which will involve more than 350 extra people on site – began at Tarong North Power Station on Wednesday.
The sole generating unit at the station was switched off to allow work to begin on the largest overhaul the station has had since it was commissioned in 2003.
A major part of the project will involve the installation of a new rotor in the steam turbine.
This upgrade, which is worth more than $5 million by itself, will allow the generating unit to return to its full 443MW output.
Tarong North has been generating power at a reduced rate since mid-2014 when temporary repairs were carried out to the damaged rotor.
The Tarong North shutdown will also allow new bags to be installed in the “baghouse”, the area of the plant that captures fine particle emissions via a bag-filter system. This filtration technology enables Tarong North to be the cleanest coal-fired power station in Australia.
Software and hardware in the control system – the electronic heart of the power station – will also be upgraded during the shutdown.
Acting site manager Peter Slabber said the Tarong North unit should be back online by June 11.
He said the project would provide a boost to the local economy, with workers staying in hotels, motels and private rentals.
Although much of the work was specialised, UGL had hired local tradespeople wherever possible.
Thirty portable buildings have been installed at Tarong North to provide offices, meeting rooms, lunchrooms and storage areas during the overhaul.
The Tarong North shutdown is the third of five major overhauls which Stanwell has scheduled between October 2015 and November 2016.
The first two projects were the overhauls of Unit 4 and Unit 2 at Tarong Power Station.
After Tarong North, the focus will shift to the dragline at Meandu Mine followed by an overhaul of Unit 1 at Tarong Power Station.
The maintenance program has been estimated at $100 million in total.
Related articles:
- Hiring Begins For October Shutdown
- Stanwell Promises Injection Of Dollars
- Temporary Repairs To Put Tarong North Back Online
