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EnergyAustralia proudly owns and operates the Mount Piper power station, located near Lithgow in New South Wales.
Since 2016, EnergyAustralia has worked with Re.Group Pty Ltd to jointly assess an Energy Recovery project, which involved converting part of the power station to run on non-recyclable household waste as fuel, commonly referred to as “refuse-derived fuel” or RDF.
After careful consideration of its technical and economic merits, EnergyAustralia withdrew from the Joint Venture with Re.Group in pursuing the Energy Recovery project at Mt Piper.
EnergyAustralia has now also formally withdrawn its application for State Significant Development (SSD) 8294 and will not investigate any future waste to energy projects at the Mt Piper site.
EnergyAustralia Chief Operating Officer Liz Westcott said: “EnergyAustralia thanks the Lithgow community for listening to our plans and providing their feedback on the Energy Recovery project. The local community’s feedback has been factored into our decision making.
“We also thank Re.Group as well as the Australian Renewable Energy Agency(ARENA), the New South Wales Department of Planning, Industry and Environment, and the Environment Protection Authority NSW for their support,” Ms Westcott said.
EnergyAustralia is committed to leading a responsible transition of the energy system and achieving net zero by 2050. The company’s plans are aligned to the NSW Government’s electricity infrastructure roadmap policy, as Mt Piper is strategically located within the NSW electricity transmission network and near the Central West Orana Renewable Energy Zone.
Specific to the Lithgow region, amongst other initiatives to help deliver on the NSW roadmap, EnergyAustralia is exploring a pumped hydro energy storage facility at Lake Lyell.
Early feasibility studies suggest the facility would be capable of producing 335MW of electricity with around eight hours of storage, enough to power over 150,000 households during peak demand. If the project goes ahead, it’s anticipated hundreds of jobs would be created during construction, with roles also needed to oversee the facility’s ongoing operation.
Locals interested in hearing more about the Lake Lyell pumped hydro energy storage project are encouraged to get in touch at community@energyaustralia.com.au or visit the website for more information.
About EnergyAustralia’s energy projects
EnergyAustralia is investing in a range of energy projects to bring more capacity into the market and support the volume of renewables entering the system. The company’s recent announcements include:
- The construction of Tallawarra B, Australia’s first hydrogen/gas peaking power station in NSW with over 300MW capacity; all direct greenhouse gas emissions to be fully offset over its operational life.
- Underpinning the Darlington Point and Riverina batteries in NSW for a combined 90MW.
- Investment in a 350MW, 4-hour battery at Wooreen in Victoria.
- The storage services agreement for the 250MW Kidston pumped storage hydro project in Queensland.