Townsville Power Station

The Townsville Power Station supplies electricity to the National Electricity Market (NEM) and is an important contributor to the energy supply in Queensland.

It has undergone several upgrades and refurbishments over the years to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. In 2005 a redevelopment increased the capacity of the power station to 242MW.

Currently, Townsville Power Station is undergoing another upgrade which will support power grid strength and providing stability as Queensland transitions to increasing renewable energy sources.

Work is underway to convert the gas turbine and generator to Hybrid Rotating Grid Stabilizer [RGS]. Replacing the clutch will enable the plant to instantly switch from power generation to grid stabilization mode, preventing potential blackouts and supporting the grid transition to support renewable energy.

The Townsville Power Station uses a Siemens combined cycle plant with 1 gas turbine and 1 steam turbine. The output of the gas turbine is connected to the 132kV Powerlink electrical network, and the steam turbine output is connected to the Ergon 66kV network.