Liddell power station's output cut by a third: turbine breaks

Liddell power station has lost a third of its capacity following another turbine failure.

Turbine four was taken offline on Monday due to a leaking hydraulic tube.

An AGL spokesman confirmed the breakdown. It is likely to take a week to repair the turbine.

Turbine three was permanently shutdown in April in preparation for the plant's closure in April next year.

The remaining three 500 megawatt turbines only returned to full capacity on July 20 following a generator malfunction at the start of the winter peak period.

The Australian Energy Market Operator's latest Quarterly Energy Dynamics report highlights how a combination of coal plant failures and soaring fossil fuel costs have pushed electricity prices to unprecedented levels.

Bayswater and Liddell Power stations in the Hunter | August 3, 2022 | Newcastle Herald

The average wholesale price for electricity in the National Electricity Market, reached $264 per megawatt hour in the June quarter, double the previous record, three times the price of the same period last year, and more than five times the average of 2020.

AEMO has called for an accelerated shift to wind and solar, supported by batteries, to help drive down skyrocketing power bills.

The failure of several coal-fired power generators, including Bayswater, in early June, led to the suspension of electricity spot market in NSW, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and Victoria

Energy Minister Matt Kean took the extraordinary step of urging NSW households to limit their electricity usage between 5.30pm and 8.30pm on June 15.

Liddell represented a new era of electricity generation in Australia when it was switched on in the winter of 1971. It remained the state's largest generator until the construction of Bayswater and Eraring power stations in the mid-1980s.

The company received state government planning approval for the construction of a 500 megawatt battery, a key component of the Hunter Energy Hub.

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