GE has announced the latest customer pilot project utilising GE’s gas turbine technology will power Australia’s first dual-fuel capable natural gas/hydrogen power plant at the Tallawarra B Power Station in New South Wales, Australia.
The project aims to accelerate the energy transition in Australia using gas that can be further decarbonised by using hydrogen and hydrogen-blended fuels.
EnergyAustralia has ordered one of GE’s 9F.05 gas turbines to power the Tallawarra B Power Station to help enhance the reliability of the energy grid and help ensure New South Wales (NSW) energy consumers have continued access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable power prior to the closure of the Liddell coal-fired 1,680-megawatt plant located in the Hunter Valley region in 2023. The power plant will operate with high operational flexibility as a “peaker” plant—firing up rapidly when needed to stabilise the power grid during demand peaks—and it will utilise partial loads of hydrogen to decrease its emissions footprint.
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“Our new open-cycle, hydrogen and gas capable turbine will provide firm capacity on a continuous basis and paves the way for additional cleaner energy sources to enter the system,” EnergyAustralia managing director Catherine Tanna said.
“We are leading the sector by building the first net zero carbon emissions hydrogen and gas capable power plant in New South Wales.”
The 316-megawatt (MW) Tallawarra B Power Station will be built in consortium with the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) company Clough and will be adjacent to EnergyAustralia’s existing Tallawarra A 435 MW gas plant, located in Yallah on the western shore of Lake Illawarra in the state of New South Wales (NSW)—approximately eight miles southwest of the city of Wollongong.
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With the forthcoming closure of the Liddell coal-fired 1,680-megawatt power station, the Australian Federal government called on the private sector to identify alternative solutions to deliver up to 1,000 megawatts of dispatchable power to ensure a reliable transition to lower-carbon energy future.
The NSW State Government and Australian Federal Government contributed AU$83 million to support the financial close and support the use of hydrogen. Under the funding agreement signed on May 3rd, EnergyAustralia will offer to buy green hydrogen up to five per cent of the plant’s fuel use from 2025 and offset direct carbon emissions from the project over its operational life.
EnergyAustralia will also invest in engineering studies examining upgrades for Tallawarra B so that it can use more green hydrogen in its fuel mix in the future.
