Kemerton power station gas station to increase output by nearly seven times following minister approval

A gas power station in the Kemerton industrial area will be allowed to increase its output by nearly seven times following approval from Environment Minister Reece Whitby. RATCH Australia’s Kemerton plant will be allowed to significantly increase its operating time from 2000 hours per year to 13,800 hours as well as extend the facility’s lifespan by 15 years following the decision. The company requested last March to make the changes to its operation. The power station has been operating as an open cycle gas-powered peaking plant since 2005. The Environment Protection Agency considered the proposal last year and it ultimately recommended approving it in December. Last week Mr Whitby gave the approval. RATCH Australia chief operations officer James Lee said the increased capacity would not necessarily be used. “There is no change to operations, the licence change simply allows RAC to extend the duration of operations to provide more flexibility and stability to the energy grid and supply,” he said. “The increase to permissible hours of operation annually may not be fully used each year, however, when it is we have in place more rigorous environmental management plans, with offsets for Greenhouse Gas emissions. “The increased duration of operations at KPS in the near term is to accommodate the decommissioning of coal-fired plants in Western Australia. It is intended to support the State’s transition to a clean energy future. “Our management plans also anticipate a phased step-down in KPS’ operations over time as more renewable energy supply becomes available.” The approval came with a number of conditions, including the operation time frame lasting up to 2045 with a further two years for decommissioning. Another condition placed on the facility is its greenhouse gasses must not exceed 9.4 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent before June 30, 2030. From that point on, the greenhouse gas limit gets progressively stricter through to 2045. In total, the project must not emit more than 21.5 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent.