Image: Lithgow Lights
… but this was a planned blast; part of ongoing preparations to turn the site of a closed coal-fired clunker into an industrial and energy storage precinct.
Wallerawang Power Station was a 1GW thermal coal power station situated near Lithgow in the Central Tablelands region of New South Wales. Electricity generation commenced in May 1957 and it’s estimated the plant spewed 6,500,000 tonnes of CO2 each year.
The first of its two generating units were shut down in January 2013, and the other in April the following year. In November 2014, then-owner EnergyAustralia announced it would permanently close the power station due to weak wholesale electricity prices and the high costs of operating and maintaining the coal burner.
Privately owned Greenspot acquired the power station and 620-hectare site in September 2020, with plans to transform it into a multi-purpose industrial area – and to host a really big battery.
On November 24 last year, two large chimney stacks and one of the boiler houses at Wallerawang Power Station were demolished (video of demolition starts at 1:10).
Yesterday, explosive demolition of the Unit 7 Boiler was carried out by Greenspot’s demolition partner, Liberty Industrial.
“We are highly motivated to speed the transformation of Wallerawang Power Station and attract new investment into the region,” said Greenspot Founder Neil Schembri. “We are thoroughly energized by the potential for positive impact of this transformation on the local community, economy and jobs.”
About The Wallerawang 9 Battery
Earlier this month, Greenspot’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a $400 million grid-scale battery project was put on public exhibition by the NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment.
Greenspot is aiming to have the 500MW/1,000MWh battery operational by summer 2023/24.
“The battery will help enhance the reliability of the electricity grid and accelerate the development of renewables in New South Wales,” said Greenspot. “This takes on additional significance following the announcement last week that Eraring Power Station, the largest coal-fired power station in Australia, will close in 2025, seven years earlier than originally planned.”
In the wake of the Origin Energy’s announcement concerning Eraring Power Station, other big batteries are also on their way. Origin mentioned it has well-progressed plans for a battery of up to 700 MW to be built at the Eraring site, and the NSW Government announced the “Waratah Super Battery”, a 700MW/1400MWh energy storage system.
And there will be plenty of renewables to charge these (and many other) big batteries. For example, the NSW Government recently attracted 80 project proposals – including 24 solar power projects – for the Hunter and Central Coast Renewable Energy Zone (REZ), with a combined generation capacity of 40GW. RenewEconomy notes earlier calls for proposals for the Central West Orana, New England and South West REZs attracted a combined 95GW of proposals.
While Wallerawang 9 Battery will be outside of the Central-West Orana REZ, Greenspot says its position on the major transmission lines between the Orana REZ and Sydney means it would be able to support and complement the goals of the NSW Government’s Electricity Strategy and Roadmap.
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The NSW DPIE major projects webpage for Greenspot’s proposed “Wallerawang 9 Battery” is at: https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/wallerawang-battery-energy-storage-system
But if you wish to make a submission in response to the EIS on exhibition within the next 13 days (from today) you may find it difficult. It seems to me the ‘revamped’ major projects portal apparently introduced this week has been having some technical issues.
It seems Greenspot’s EIS has been published and on exhibition, ahead of Neoen’s EIS for their 500 MW / 1,000 MWh “Great Western Battery” proposal.
I spoke via phone to NSW DPIE’s planner, Javier Canon, for Neoen’s proposed Great Western Battery project on 14 Jan 2022. I was informed that the NSW DPIE expected a revised EIS to be lodged by Neoen in late-February 2022.
https://pp.planningportal.nsw.gov.au/major-projects/projects/great-western-battery-energy-storage-system
The Wallerawang C Power Station had two units of 500 MW generating capacity each. The Greenspot BESS proposal is equivalent to one of Wang C’s generator units outputting max power for up to two hours duration. Add in Neoen’s proposal for their “Great Western Battery” and that’s equivalent to the other Wang C generator unit at max power output for two hours duration. Combine the outputs of the “Wallerawang 9 Battery” with the “Great Western Battery” and it’s the equivalent of all of the Wang C Power Station at max power output for up to 2 hours duration (or half capacity of 500 MW output for up to 4 hours).