Vales Point Power Station, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
Vales Point Power Station is one of two coal
fired power station
s on the shores of Lake Macquarie
. Vales Point is located on the southern shore of the lake, near the township of Mannering Park
. It has two steam turbines, with a total generating
capacity of 1,320 MW of electricity
.
Vales Point was the first major power station in New South Wales
to be located near its fuel source (coal).
200 MW turbo-alternators. The first two were completed in 1963, and the third in 1964. In 1966, a fourth turbo-alternator manufactured by Associated Electrical Industries
(AEI) Limited in the UK, with a capacity of 275 MW, was added.
These four units were known as "A" Station, its capacity of 875 MW making it the most powerful in New South Wales at that time. The original four generating units forming "A" Station were decommissioned in 1989.
Vales Point uses salt water from Lake Macquarie for cooling. The coal for Vales Point comes from local mines, and is delivered by conveyor.
Carbon Monitoring for Action
estimates this power station emits 9.32 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal
. 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
.
Vales Point Power Station is recognisable in the background of the music video for the 1982 Midnight Oil
track "U.S. Forces".
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
fired power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....
s on the shores of Lake Macquarie
Lake Macquarie (New South Wales)
Lake Macquarie is Australia's largest coastal salt water lake, covering an area of in the Hunter Region of New South Wales with most of the City of Lake Macquarie's residents living near its shores. It is connected to the Tasman Sea by a short channel. Lake Macquarie is twice as large as Sydney...
. Vales Point is located on the southern shore of the lake, near the township of Mannering Park
Mannering Park, New South Wales
Mannering Park is a suburb of the Central Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the Wyong Shire local government area. It was formerly called Vales Point....
. It has two steam turbines, with a total generating
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
capacity of 1,320 MW of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
Vales Point was the first major power station in New South Wales
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
to be located near its fuel source (coal).
A station
Vales Point was originally built with three English ElectricEnglish Electric
English Electric was a British industrial manufacturer. Founded in 1918, it initially specialised in industrial electric motors and transformers...
200 MW turbo-alternators. The first two were completed in 1963, and the third in 1964. In 1966, a fourth turbo-alternator manufactured by Associated Electrical Industries
Associated Electrical Industries
Associated Electrical Industries was a British holding company formed in 1928 through the merger of the British Thomson-Houston Company and Metropolitan-Vickers electrical engineering companies...
(AEI) Limited in the UK, with a capacity of 275 MW, was added.
These four units were known as "A" Station, its capacity of 875 MW making it the most powerful in New South Wales at that time. The original four generating units forming "A" Station were decommissioned in 1989.
B station
In 1978, two Toshiba 660 MW units were added, becoming "B" Station. The combined capacity of 2195 MW made Vales Point the largest power station in Australia at the time. The Toshiba 660 MW turbo-alternator became the standard in New South Wales, with similar units later being installed at Eraring, Bayswater and Mount Piper.Vales Point uses salt water from Lake Macquarie for cooling. The coal for Vales Point comes from local mines, and is delivered by conveyor.
Carbon Monitoring for Action
Carbon Monitoring for Action
Carbon Monitoring For Action is a website that contains a searchable database that estimates the carbon emissions of power plants and power companies around the world. Launched in November, 2007, its database is updated quarterly. It is produced and financed by the Center for Global Development....
estimates this power station emits 9.32 million tonnes of greenhouse gases each year as a result of burning coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
. The Australian Government has announced the introduction of a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme
The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme was a proposed cap-and-trade system of emissions trading for anthropogenic greenhouse gases, due to be introduced in Australia in 2010 by the Rudd government, as part of its climate change policy. It marked a major change in the energy policy of Australia...
commencing in 2010 to help combat climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
. 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
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
.
Vales Point Power Station is recognisable in the background of the music video for the 1982 Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil
Midnight Oil , were an Australian rock band from Sydney originally performing as Farm from 1972 with drummer Rob Hirst, bass guitarist Andrew James and keyboard player/lead guitarist Jim Moginie...
track "U.S. Forces".
See also
- Lake MacquarieLake Macquarie (New South Wales)Lake Macquarie is Australia's largest coastal salt water lake, covering an area of in the Hunter Region of New South Wales with most of the City of Lake Macquarie's residents living near its shores. It is connected to the Tasman Sea by a short channel. Lake Macquarie is twice as large as Sydney...
- Eraring Power Station
- Munmorah Power Station
External links
- Delta ElectricityDelta ElectricityDelta Electricity is an electricity generation company in Australia. It is fully owned by the Government of New South Wales, and has a portfolio of generating sites mainly using thermal coal power.-Power stations:...
page on Vales Point