These fossil fuel power stations burn coal to power steam turbines that generate some or all of the electricity they produce. Australia's fleet of coal-fired power stations are aging and many are due for decommissioning, and are being replaced by a combination of mostly renewable energy. In early 2017, 75% of the coal-fired power stations in the country were operating beyond their original design life. [1]
The declining cost of renewable energy sources, such as solar power, wind power and battery storage, means it is unlikely a new coal-fired power station will ever be built in Australia. [2] The Liddell Power Station is the latest major coal-fired power station to be decommissioned, which took place on 28 April 2023. [3]
| Power station | Commission year | Scheduled closure year | Max. capacity (MW) | CO2 emissions (t CO2-e/year) | Emission intensity (t CO2-e/MWh) | Turbines | Coal type | Conveyance | Mine type | Cooling water | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayswater | 1982 [4] | 2033 [5] | 2,640 | 13,725,965 [6] | 0.88 [6] | 4 | bituminous | conveyors, rail | open cut | fresh | Active | AGL |
| Eraring | 1982 [4] | 2025 [7] [lower-alpha 1] | 2,880 | 14,914,916 [6] | 0.87 [6] | 4 | bituminous | rail, truck | underground | salt | Active | Origin |
| Mt Piper | 1993 [4] | 2040 [9] [10] | 1,400 | 6,841,302 [6] | 0.87 [6] | 2 | bituminous | road, conveyor | underground | fresh | Active | EnergyAustralia |
| Vales Point B | 1978 [4] | 2029 [11] | 1,320 | 7,015,626 [6] | 0.86 [6] | 2 | bituminous | conveyors | underground | salt | Active | Delta |
Total (MW): 8,240
| Power station | Commission year | Scheduled closure year | Max. capacity (MW) | CO2 emissions (t CO2-e/year) | Emission intensity (t CO2-e/MWh) | Turbines | Coal type | Conveyance | Mine type | Cooling water | Status | Refs | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Callide B | 1989 [4] | 2028 [12] | 700 | 5,103,540 [6] | 0.92 [6] | 2 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active | [13] [14] | CS Energy, Intergen |
| Callide C | 2001 [4] | Not Announced [15] | 810 | 5,265,665 [6] | 0.9 [6] | 2 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active | [13] [14] | CS Energy, Intergen |
| Gladstone | 1976 [4] | 2035 [12] | 1,680 | 8,547,021 [6] | 0.95 [6] | 6 | bituminous | rail | open cut | seawater | Active | [13] | Rio Tinto, NRG |
| Kogan Creek | 2007 [4] | 2042 [15] | 750 | 4,360,686 [6] | 0.83 [6] | 1 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | dry cooled | Active | [13] | CS Energy |
| Millmerran | 2002 [4] | 2051 [15] | 852 | 5,794,351 [6] | 0.82 [6] | 2 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | dry cooled | Active | [13] | Intergen [16] |
| Stanwell | 1993 [4] | 2046 [15] | 1,445 | 7,637,735 [6] | 0.87 [6] | 4 | bituminous | rail | open cut | fresh | Active | [13] | Stanwell |
| Tarong | 1984 [4] | 2037 [15] | 1,400 | 10,473,950 [6] | 0.86 [6] | 4 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active | [13] [17] | Stanwell |
| Tarong North | 2002 [4] | 2037 [15] | 443 | 1 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active | [13] | Stanwell |
Total (MW): 8,080
| Power station | Commission year | Scheduled closure year | Max. capacity (MW) | CO2 emissions (t CO2-e/year) | Emission intensity (t CO2-e/MWh) | Turbines | Coal type | Conveyance | Mine type | Cooling water | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loy Yang A | 1984 [4] | 2035 [18] | 2200 | 20,107,115 [6] | 1.17 [6] | 4 | lignite | conveyors | open cut | fresh cooling tower | Active | AGL |
| Loy Yang B | 1993 [4] | 2047 [15] | 1050 | 10,132,776 [6] | 1.14 [6] | 2 | lignite | conveyors | open cut | fresh cooling tower | Active | Chow Tai Fook, Alinta Energy [19] |
| Yallourn Power Station | 1975 [4] | 2028 [20] [21] | 1480 | 13,856,313 [6] | 1.34 [6] | 4 | lignite | conveyors | open cut | fresh cooling tower | Active | EnergyAustralia |
Total (MW): 4,730
| Power station | Commission year | Scheduled closure year | Max. capacity (MW) | CO2 emissions (t CO2-e/year) | Emission intensity (t CO2-e/MWh) | Turbines | Coal type | Conveyance | Mine type | Cooling water | Status | Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Collie | 1999 [4] | 2027 [22] | 340 | 1,848,693 [6] | 0.91 [6] | 1 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active | Synergy |
| Muja | 1981 [4] | 2024 (Unit 6) [23] 2029 (Units 7 & 8) [22] | 654 | 3,982,663 [6] | 0.9 [6] | 4 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active (units 1–5 closed) | Synergy |
| Bluewaters | 2009 [4] | – | 416 | 2,966,541 [6] | 0.88 [6] | 2 | bituminous | conveyor | open cut | fresh | Active | Sumitomo Group, Kansai Electric |
Total (MW): 1,410
The Australian Capital Territory does not use coal or oil to generate electricity. The Kingston Powerhouse being the last coal-fired power station in the territory, which was decommissioned in 1957.
The Northern Territory relies predominantly on natural gas, as well as various renewable energy sources. Likewise, it has no functioning coal-fired power stations.
South Australia previously had a number of coal power stations. The last to be closed were the Northern and Playford B power stations. [25]
Tasmania has no functioning coal-fired power stations, instead using primarily hydroelectricity, with natural gas used as a backup.
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