Operators of Kemerton Power Station seek nearly seven-fold increase in operating hours

A power station on Bunbury’s outskirts could see the number of hours it is allowed to operate each year increase nearly seven-fold. RATCH Australia Corporation has requested to be allowed to increase the Kemerton Power Station’s operating time from 2000 hours a year to 13,800 hours annually. The Treasure Road facility has been operating since November 2005 as a power station, which operates during periods of high demand. But the owners of the mostly natural gas-powered facility want to increase its capacity as coal-fired stations in the South West Interconnected System are shut down. A company spokesperson said the power station played a critical role in providing a secure supply to the grid. “The proposed licence change will enable us to continue to support the transition of Western Australia away from thermal generation and provide a stable, reliable energy supply to the grid,” they said. “Longer term, we are focused on investing in clean and low carbon energy to help WA achieve its emission reduction targets.” With limited operating hours, the station is currently limited to producing a maximum of 320 kilotons of carbon dioxide emissions each year. It has averaged 65 kilotons per year between the 2013 and 2022 financial years. But the increase in hours could see it produce up to 1345 kilotons of carbon dioxide annually if ran at the maximum requested capacity. A RATCH spokesperson said the station emits about 39 per cent less greenhouse gas emissions than the grid’s main power stations. “The proposed changes will not alter KPS’ air emission rate or greenhouse intensity on a per MWh basis,” she said. “Cumulatively, the total emissions associated with power generation to support the SWIS is expected to decrease, due to the reduction of supply from coal-fired power stations.” The Environmental Protection Authority received a referral for the proposed increase in March as it exceeds the assessment threshold of 100,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions each year. Concerns have been raised over why the public comment period for whether the EPA should assess the proposal was held over the Easter long weekend. EPA deputy chair Lee McIntosh said the period, which is usually seven days, was extended to nine to take into account the Easter public holidays. “Five business days were available for public comment consistent with usual practice,” she said. “No public comments were received during the public comment period. An EPA decision on whether to assess the referral is under consideration, including taking into account information from key environmental regulators.” The date of when the EPA’s decision will be released is not known.