First Steps in Coal-to-Clean Power Transformation Taken in Qld

The first step towards Queensland’s transformation of a coal-fired power station to clean energy has been revealed.

The state government has announced the publicly owned energy company, Stanwell Corporation, will build the Future Energy and Innovation Training Hub (FEITH), valued at up to $100 million, at the site of the Stanwell Power Station, 23km south-west of Rockhampton.

The size of a shopping centre, the hub will provide the facilites to test new energy technology including wind, solar, hydrogen and battery storage.

It would also provide a real-life, hands-on training environment for Queensland energy employees to develop the skills needed to work on renewable energy technologies, the government said.

The project is proposed to be delivered in phases, starting with the establishment of common infrastructure and civil works this year.

Future phases include a skills academy and demonstration centre where the community can come to learn about new energy technologies. In its entirety, the project will cost more than $100 million and be deployed over five years.

The Stanwell Power Station, with a capacity of 1460MW, is located between the potential future Capricorn and Calliope Renewable Energy Zones (REZ) as outlined in Queensland’s Draft REZ Roadmap.

Those two zones alone are expected to connect 1900-3800MW of installed generation, creating up to 650 construction jobs, supported by the Jobs Security Guarantee for the existing workforce.

Central Queensland’s REZ covers 10 local government areas and supports the region’s key industries of agriculture, construction, minerals processing and manufacturing to meet their clean-energy goals and demand from international markets.

Stanwell chief executive Michael O’Rourke said the project would be “the visible bright spark of Stanwell’s transformation to clean energy and our vision is for FEITH to be a catalyst for advancing the energy transformation, not just at Stanwell, but for the entire state”.

▲ Inside the Stanwell power station.

“It will increase our understanding of new energy technologies and their application in building Stanwell’s renewable-energy portfolio and driving the development of Queensland hydrogen industry.

“And just as importantly, it will help us create the energy workforce Queensland needs for the future through hands-on skills development and training.”

The government said Queensland’s coal-fired power stations provided critical dispatchable power and system services, keeping the state’s energy system reliable and secure.

“In the future, renewable energy generators, PHES, batteries and low emissions gas-fuelled plant will collectively provide the dispatchable capacity currently provided by coal,” a FEITH spokesperson said.

“The Queensland government will invest to repurpose publicly owned coal-fired power stations into clean energy hubs, capitalising on their skilled workforces, strong network connections and existing infrastructure.

“This reinvestment and repurposing of coal-fired power stations will occur in a co-ordinated manner, ensuring energy security for all Queenslanders.”