Queensland’s most maligned coal fired power station back online after latest explosions

One of a state’s largest coal fired power stations is back online for the first time since April after it was forced to shut down following another explosion.

The Callide Unit C3 at the central Queensland station was damaged in April after a “pressure spike” in its boiler caused structural damage, but no power losses.

It returned to service early on Sunday, a spokesperson for government-owned CS Energy told AAP.

It marked the latest incident at the embattled power plant.

In late 2022, all four units at the station were briefly offline due to equipment failures at a cooling plant.

It came after a May 2021 explosion in its turbine hall left 470,000 homes and businesses from the far north to the NSW border without power.

Callide B’s two units, run by CS Energy, were quickly back in operation following the incident.

But Callide C’s two units, C3 and C4 – run through a joint venture with Intergen – faced lengthy delays. 

The explosion caused extensive damage to Callide C’s turbine hall, with its operators taken to court in 2024 by the Australian Energy Regulator.

Federal Court Justice Sarah Derrington found serious procedural breaches had caused the “catastrophic failure and destruction” to major infrastructure.

Callide Power Trading was ordered to pay a civil penalty of $9 million and $150,000 in costs.

In April, Treasurer David Janetzki announced Callide B would operate past its technical end of life as part of the government’s five-year energy road map. 

Coal-fired power accounts for more than 60 per cent of the electricity generated in Queensland.

Queensland’s Liberal National government has indicated coal generators would operate beyond 2035 but says it is committed to net zero by 2050.

Source: AAP