Western Energy Pty Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Perth Energy, commissioned a 120 MW Open Cycle Gas Turbine (OCGT) power plant in Kwinana in August 2010. The plant, named Kwinana Swift Power Station, consists of four 30 MW gas turbines hooked to two common generators and operates as an open cycle peaking station that can be fired on either natural gas or ultra-low sulphur diesel or both. These units have a very fast start-up time, typically less than five minutes from standstill to full load.
View site photo's of the plant at bottom of page (click here).
BENEFITS OF PROJECT
Given the characteristics of the plant, it will be ideal to be used to support/complement renewable energy plant with intermittent supply such as wind and solar farms, and to meet peak and high shoulder load demands. The plant adds to the reliability of supply during high demand periods and improved security of supply during system emergencies or blackouts, by being able to switch between the two fuels on the fly.
The key benefits of the plant are:
· Fast response capability enables more renewable energy projects to be supported on the system
· Thermal efficiency exceeds the Australian Greenhouse Office (AGO) Technical Guidelines Generator Efficiency Standards (AGO 2006) for sent out thermal efficiency
· Water injection ensures the burners achieve NOx emissions of less than 25 ppm (dry at STP and 15% O2)
· The plant could be readily converted to Combined Cycle mode if required
· Appropriate use of Kwinana, the premier heavy industrial location
· Capital investment of more than $130 million to the SWIS.
PROJECT INFORMATION
The key environmental issues considered in the Project design were:
· Impact of air quality in the Kwinana airshed
· Greenhouse gas emissions
· Noise from the plant
· Wastewater disposal, and
· Overall environmental performance.
A summary of the above key environmental factors, existing environment and environmental impacts and management are presented in the EPA submission. The details provided indicate that all of the environmental factors can be managed to meet the EPA's objectives. Management of environmental factors for the plant will be undertaken within the framework of an Environmental Management System (EMS) based on the International Standard ISO1400.
