High Gas Prices Force Closure of Stanwell's Swanbank E Power Station in Australia

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources Australia (Perth, Australia)--Stanwell Limited's (Brisbane, Australia) gas-fired Swanbank E Power Station will close October 1 for up to three years, the company announced earlier this year. Stanwell cited high operational costs from rising gas prices as the cause of the shutdown, according to reports. Located in the Ipswich region of Queensland, Swanbank E was the last stage of the Swanbank power plant project.

The power plant has an Alstom GT26 gas turbine--the largest gas turbine in Australia at the time of its commissioning in 2002, according to Stanwell.

To compensate for the closure, Stanwell said it would resume operations at the two 350-MW units at the Tarong coal-fired power station, which were closed in 2012. The exact timing of the Tarong units' return to service will depend on market conditions and portfolio requirements. Stanwell plans to bring one of the Tarong units online by late 2014.

Following the decision to close the power plant, Stanwell cancelled a couple of previously scheduled maintenance outages, including a 28-day major maintenance operation planned for 2015. According to Electrical Trades Union (ETU) spokesman Peter Simpson, the power plant closure is a blow to the Ipswich region, which has scarce employment opportunities.

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