Torrens Island Power Station

Torrens Island Power Station is located on Torrens Island, near Adelaide, South Australia and is operated by AGL Energy. It burns natural gas in eight steam turbines to generate up to 1,280 MW of electricity. The gas is supplied via the SEAGas pipeline from Victoria, and the Moomba Adelaide Pipeline System (MAPS) from Moomba in the Cooper Basin.[1] The station is capable of burning either natural gas or fuel oil.[2] It is the largest power station in South Australia and was formerly the largest single power station user of natural gas in Australia.

Torrens Island Power Station
Country	Australia
Location	Torrens Island, South Australia
Coordinates	34°48′24″S 138°31′24″E
Status	Operational
Construction began	1963
Commission date	1967
Owner(s)	AGL Energy
Operator(s)	AGL Energy
Thermal power station
Primary fuel	Natural gas
Turbine technology	Steam turbine
Chimneys	2
Cooling source	Port Adelaide River
Power generation
Units operational	8 × C A Parsons
Nameplate capacity	1280 MW
External links
Commons	Related media on Commons

Construction

Construction began in 1963 following passing of a government act vesting the land and authorising construction.[3] The 480 MW (4 x 120MW) A Station was completed in 1967, and construction of the 800 MW (4 x 200MW) B Station was completed in 1976.

Planned shutdown

In December 2014 AGL announced that it intended mothballing the four older units of the A Station indefinitely, having taken them out of service between July and September 2014.[4] This decision was primarily driven by increasing levels of wind and solar generation in the South Australian region of the National Electricity Market displacing fossil fuel generation, particularly higher cost gas-fired generation. AGL reviewed this decision and deferred the planned mothballing in June 2016, following the closure of Alinta's Northern and Playford B coal-fired power stations at Port Augusta[5]

However, due to the state-wide power outage in September 2016, the system operator AEMO demanded that the Torrens Island power station to be brought back online to prevent another statewide power outage.

AGL announced on 7 June 2017 that it intended to permanently mothball two of the turbines in the 50-year-old Torrens A power station from 1 July 2019, after building a new 210MW power station containing twelve gas reciprocating engines to be known as Barker Inlet Power Station adjacent to the Torrens Island site.[6][7] The remaining two units of Torrens Island A are planned to be mothballed after winter 2020 and winter 2021.[8]

See also

• AGL Energy
• List of power stations in South Australia

References

1. "TRU Torrens Island". CLP Group. Archived from the original on 21 October 2006. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
2. "Torrens Island, SOUTH AUSTRALIA". GJC Engineers. Archived from the original on 30 August 2007. Retrieved 8 January 2008.
3. "ELECTRICITY TRUST OF SOUTH AUSTRALIA (TORRENS ISLAND POWER STATION) ACT 1962". Australasian Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 30 December 2006.
4. "AGL - AGL to mothball South Australian generating units". www.agl.com.au. Retrieved 27 December 2015.
5. "AGL to defer mothballing of South Australian generating units". AGL. 6 June 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2016.
6. Washington, David (7 June 2017). "AGL to build "rapid response" power station in Adelaide". InDaily. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
7. "AGL announces development of $295 million power station in South Australia". ASX & Media Release (Press release). AGL. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
8. "Generation information page". Australian Energy Market Operator. 2 November 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2018.

Torrens Island Power Station (top right) and transmission lines viewed from the NE in 2008 - Dry Creek salt pans in the foreground

Torrens Island Power Station and transmission lines viewed from North Arm Creek