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Drought conditions continue to restrict the availability of cooling water to Delta’s Wallerawang and Mt Piper power stations. While the Coxs River storages remain relatively steady, the Oberon dam, which supplies the critical water needs of Wallerawang Power Station, has fallen to a record low level and Level 5 restrictions are in place.
Delta has already taken the following steps to mitigate the impact of the drought:
- Additional water has been secured from a local mine;
- The capacity of the desalination plant at Mt Piper has been increased to maintain the quality of the remaining water supplies to that power station.
The 1400MW Mt Piper Power Station has sophisticated salinity management control systems incorporated into its design and these steps have ensured its continued operation for the foreseeable future.
However, the older 1000MW Wallerawang power station is heavily reliant on the water it receives from the Fish River scheme (i.e. Oberon Dam and Duckmaloi transfer) to control water salinity. These supplies are essential for use in the power station’s demineralised water treatment plant. It is not possible to use Coxs River water for this purpose as it would damage this item of plant and cause loss of generation capacity.
Delta is constraining the electrical output from Wallerawang to match the amount of water it is currently receiving from the Fish River scheme. Some constraint on output may continue throughout 2010 unless the situation improves. Delta is investigating options to minimise the impact of the reduced supply of water and further updates will be provided as and when circumstances change.
18 December 2009
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