STANWELL POWER STATION
Energy Type Thermal Coal-Fired
Maximum output 1460 MW
Commissioned 1993-1996
Overview
Stanwell Power Station is located 22km west of Rockhampton in central Queensland and is recognised as one of the most efficient and reliable coal-fired generators in Australia. The station supplies around 10% of Queensland’s energy needs and celebrated 30 years of operation in 2023.
Stanwell recognises and respects the Traditional Owners of the land where Stanwell Power Station is built, the Darumbal people. We pay respect to their Elders past, present and emerging and to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as we work towards a bright future.
Learn more about the Darumbal people
Technical details
Located on 1600 hectares of land, Stanwell Power Station is one of the most efficient and automated subcritical coal-fired power stations in Australia. It achieves high asset performance through the application of innovative technology and organisational design.
Fuel and water supply
Coal for the Stanwell Power Station comes mainly from the Curragh Mine in Central Queensland, operated by Coronado, with supplementary coal from other Queensland producers as needed.
Stanwell Power Station sources water from the Fitzroy River with a water allocation held within Sunwater's Eden Bann Weir. The annual water allocation is approx. 24,000 ML.
Emissions control
Low nitrogen oxide (NOx) burners, electrostatic precipitators, diligent monitoring and an efficient operating regime are some of the key environmental controls at the power station. Particulates including ash and dust emissions are managed within set limits by electrostatic precipitators. In 2019, a continuous emissions monitoring system (CEMS) was installed at both stations to more effectively monitor emissions.
Future plans
Stanwell Power Station will gradually transition to Clean Energy Hubs by 2035, providing energy firming, maintenance services and critical system services to the Central Queensland grid. The first project in the Clean Energy Hub transition is the Stanwell Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) due to be commissioned at this site in mid 2025. At 300 MW and four hours' storage duration, it is the largest lithium iron battery in construction in Queensland.
Meet Angie Zahra
GENERAL MANAGER: CENTRAL GENERATION
Angie Zahra’s career spans over three decades in Queensland’s energy industry, commencing in 1992 as Chemical Technician at Stanwell Power Station during the final days of Unit 1 construction. Since then, Angie has amassed 32 years of experience at Stanwell across both operational and leadership roles. Today, she leads Stanwell Power Station and its 200 team members, as General Manager of Central Generation.
As an active community member in the Central Queensland region, Angie is committed to ensuring Stanwell continues to deliver secure, reliable energy for Queensland and mutual benefits for the community as Stanwell Power Station transforms to become a clean energy hub.
STAKEHOLDER AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
If you would like to find out more about this project contact our stakeholder and community engagement team on this link:
Community and stakeholder engagement for Central QueenslandMORE GENERATION ASSETS
- ASSET MAINTENANCE
ASSET MAINTENANCE
More on maintaining renewablesRead about how renewable maintenance will provide jobs for the future
- COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
COMMUNITY INVESTMENT
More on local voices, choices and benefitsRead about benefits to local communities around our assets
