Arrow Energy: Dalby Gas Fired Power Station Keeps Temps Down (Australia)

Arrow Energy Dalby Gas Fired Power Station Keeps Temps Down

The Western Downs is keeping Queensland and NSW cool in this week’s heatwave conditions. Arrow Energy’s gas-fired Braemar 2 Power Station near Dalby powered tens of thousands of air conditioners through yesterday’s blistering heat, using Surat Basin coal seam gas (CSG).

Feeding into the national electricity grid, the station generated a peak of 489 MW– about six per cent of Queensland’s peak power demand.

“Braemar 2 operated flat-out to meet yesterday’s huge demand and will be doing the same again today,” said Arrow CEO Andrew Faulkner.

“Gas-fired power stations have a rapid ramp up and are ideal for meeting high peak demands, like yesterday’s, as well as providing a stable base load.

“Braemar 2’s electricity powers businesses and homes in both NSW and Queensland, so a lot of people owe their comfort to this corner of the state.”

The peak generation of all gas fired power stations yesterday was 2354MW, which means gas-fired generation (nearly all from CSG) provided 29 per cent of the state’s peak demand. Braemar 2 made up 21 per cent of the gas-fired generation.

An industry rule of thumb is that 1MW powers about 1000 households.

Yesterday’s temperatures hit 37ºC in Dalby, 34.4ºC in Toowoomba and 33ºC in Brisbane, with a consequent increase in air conditioner use.

Braemar 2 is fired by CSG from Arrow’s Daandine and QGC’s Windibri and Kenya gas fields in the Surat Basin, 40km southwest of Dalby and is the second largest gas-fired power station in Queensland.

It was commissioned in 2009 and built at a cost of $550m. Arrow took full ownership and operatorship in July 2011.

Arrow also has interests in the 30MW Daandine Power Station and the 240 MW Townsville Power Station, both of which are also fired by Arrow CSG.

Arrow provides about 20 per cent of Queensland’s gas, most of which is used to generate electricity. CSG-fired power stations produce about half the carbon dioxide emissions of black coal stations.

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LNG World News Staff, January 10, 2013; Image: Baulderstone