Anglesea Power Station
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Anglesea power station is a 160-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power plant in Victoria, Australia.The plant was retired in August 2015.[1]
Contents
Location
The map below shows the location of the plant, near Anglesea, Victoria.
Background on Plant
The Anglesea Power Station is a 160 megawatt (MW) owned by Alcoa of Australia and is located near Anglesea, approximately 95 kilometres south-west of Melbourne. Coal for the power station is supplied from the Anglesea mine, which produces approximately 1 million tonnes of brown coal a year. The mine is also owned by Alcoa.[2] The power station produced approximately 40% of the power required by Alcoa's Point Henry aluminium smelter near Geelong.[3] A review of the Victorian power grid in 2003 stated that the power station has an average sent out thermal efficiency of approximately 27.7%, making it one of the least efficient coal-fired power stations.[3]
In February 2014 Alcoa announced that they intended to close the smelter in August 2014 and the rolling mills by the end of the year. In the announcement the company stated that the Anglesea coal mine and power station "has the potential to operate as a stand-alone facility after the smelter closes. Alcoa of Australia will actively seek a buyer for the facility."[4]
Since the closure announcement, a strong local campaign has pressed for the closure of the now redundant plant. In May 2015 Alcoa said it was unable to find a buyer for the 150 MW power plant and would shut it August 31, 2015.[5]
Criticism of Anglesea Power Station
Opponents of the Anglesea mine note that the mine and coal-fired power station is located less than 1.5 kilometres from homes and a school. These individuals note that air pollutants emitted from the power station can impact human health.[6]
In August 2012 Greg Barber, a Greens representative in the Victorian parliament, announced that he was introducing a motion to remove Alcoa's exemption from the Freedom of Information Act. Barber also announced that he would also introduce a motion "for the government to table in Parliament an Air Emissions Study & Human Health Risk assessment that was conducted for Alcoa in 2008, which has been denied to the public under its Freedom of Information exemption."[7]
"Alcoa has released its health risk assessments to the public in relation to other facilities around Australia; in fact, they are on its website for all to see. You have to ask yourself why Anglesea is the exception. People who live near the Alcoa power plant and coal mine have a right to know what impacts the pollution might be having on their health," he said.[7]
Pollution
National Pollutant Inventory Data
In 2010, it was estimated to have emitted 1.47 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (Mt CO2e.)[8]
The Australian's Government's National Pollutant Inventory lists emissions from the Anglesea power station for 2011/12 as being:[9]
| Substance | Air Total (kg) | Air Fugitive (kg) | Air Point (kg) | Land (kg) | Water (kg) | Total (kg) |
| Arsenic & compounds | 35 | 1 | 34 | 0.0011 | .67 | 36 |
| Beryllium & compounds | 4.9 | .37 | 4.6 | 0.00025 | 1.3 | 6.3 |
| Boron & compounds | 25,000 | 28 | 25,000 | 1.4 | 11,000 | 36,000 |
| Cadmium & compounds | 1.4 | .030 | 1.3 | 0.000056 | 0.53 | 1.9 |
| Carbon monoxide | 61,000 | 9,500 | 52,000 | 61,000 | ||
| Chromium (III) compounds | 80 | 8 | 72 | 0.015 | 0.67 | 80 |
| Chromium (VI) compounds | 3.0 | 0.0 | 3.0 | 0.014 | 0 | 3 |
| Copper & compounds | 68 | 15 | 53 | 0.012 | 0.67 | 68 |
| Cumene (1-methylethylbenzene) | .95 | 0 | .95 | 0 | 0 | .95 |
| Flouride compounds | 7900 | 68 | 7900 | 0.15 | 330 | 8,300 |
| Hydrochloric acid | 150,000 | 150,000 | 150,000 | |||
| Lead & compounds | 20 | 2.5 | 17 | 0.0000015 | 0.77 | 16 |
| Manganese & compounds | 260 | 86 | 170 | 0.018 | 230 | 490 |
| Mercury & compounds | 24 | 0.028 | 24 | 0.000028 | 0.067 | 24 |
| Nickel & compounds | 150 | 7.9 | 140 | 0.019 | 27 | 180 |
| Oxides of Nitrogen | 2,800,000 | 29,000 | 2,800,000 | 2,800,000 | ||
| Particulate Matter 10.0 um | 110,000 | 92,000 | 21,000 | 110,000 | ||
| Particulate Matter 2.5 um | 15,000 | 1,900 | 13,000 | 15,000 | ||
| Polychlorinated dioxins and furans (TEQ) | 0.000051 | 0.000051 | 0.000051 | |||
| Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (B[a]Peq) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 1.5 | ||
| Sulfur dioxide | 39,000,000 | 19 | 39,000,000 | 39,000,000 | ||
| Sulfuric acid | 1,600 | 1,600 | 1,600 | |||
| Total Volatile Organic Compounds | 3,200 | 2,500 | 700 | 3,200 | ||
| Zinc and compounds | 190 | 21 | 170 | 0.073 | 87 | 270 |
Handout from carbon tax package
Alcoa of Australia received $14,901,959.75 of the $1 billion cash payments given out in 2011/12[10] to the operators of the most polluting coal-fired power stations. The cash was paid from the Energy Security Fund which was established as a part of the carbon tax legislation passed in 2011.[11][12]
Plant Details
- Sponsor: Alcoa of Australia
- Parent company: Alcoa
- Location: Anglesea, Victoria, Australia
- Coordinates: -38.3865497, 144.1820619 (exact)
- Status: Retired (August 2015)[1]
- Gross capacity: 160 MW (single-unit)
- Type: Subcritical
- In service: 1969
- Coal type:
- Coal source:
- Source of financing:
Articles and Resources
Related SourceWatch Articles
- Australia and coal
- Carbon Capture and Storage in Australia
- New South Wales and coal
- Queensland and coal
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Retirement of coal fired power stations, Interim report," Environment and Communications References Committee, The Senate, November 2016, Table 2.2
- ↑ "Coal Mining", Alcoa website, accessed August 2010.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 J. Nunn, A. Cottrell, A. Urfer, L. Wibberley and P. Scaife, "A Lifecycle Assessment of the Victorian Energy Grid", Cooperative Research Centre for Coal in Sustainable Development, February 2003, page 8. (Pdf).
- ↑ Alcoa of Australia, "Alcoa to Close Point Henry Aluminium Smelter and Rolling Mills in Australia", Media Release, February 18, 2014.
- ↑ "Alcoa to shut Anglesea coal mine and power plant," The Age, May 12, 2015
- ↑ "Serious hazards in burning coal" Dr Eugenie Kayak, The Age, October 27, 2011.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Greg Barber, "Greens bid to end Alcoa secrecy at Anglesea", Media Release, August 15, 2012.
- ↑ The Climate Group, Australian Electricity Generation Report 2007-2010, The Climate Group, August 2010, page 23. (Pdf)
- ↑ National Pollutant Inventory, "2011/12 report for ALCOA OF AUST LTD, Alcoa Anglesea Power Station - Anglesea, VIC ", Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, April 2013.
- ↑ "Generation complexes eligible to receive Energy Security Fund cash payments", Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency website, July 9, 2012.
- ↑ Australian government, "An overview of the Clean Energy Legislative Package", Clean Energy Future website, accessed January 2013.
- ↑ Energy Security Council, "About the Council", Energy Security Council website, accessed January 2013.
