The Moranbah North Waste Coal Mine Gas Power Station is the newest and largest waste coal mine gas fired power station in Central Queensland and stands as a milestone in the quest for cleaner energy sources, Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy Stephen Robertson said today.
Mr Robertson today officially opened the new $60 million, 45 megawatt power station, which is owned and operated by Energy Developments Limited (EDL). The station is supplied with waste coal mine gas sourced from Anglo Coal Australia’s Moranbah North Mine.
The power station takes waste gases from the coal mine and turns it into base load electricity and the reduced emissions will have the effect of taking 350,000 cars off the road. It consists of fifteen 3 megawatt power generation modules using conventional reciprocating gas engines capable of generating approximately 350 gigawatt hours of electricity each year, enough to power approximately 48,000 homes.
Waste coal mine gas is released as a waste product during underground coal mining, which contributes to Australia’s greenhouse emissions.
Mr Robertson said he was delighted to see the leadership shown in such a successful collaborative project between the mining and energy sectors.
“This power station is a good example of collaborative thinking with two companies joining forces to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he said.
