Tallawarra B gas generator finally ready for the grid, just in time for cold snap

EnergyAustralia’s new gas-fired power station, Tallawarra B, in Wollongong is finally operational after a long commissioning period that started in February.

The $300 million, 320 megawatt (MW) facility – the first gas fired generator to enter the NSW grid in a decade – first joined the grid last last year and was formally opened in early February, and was expected to be fully commissioned within weeks.

The Australian newspaper earlier this month reported that the four month delay between the end of construction and entering the National Energy Market (NEM) was caused by technical difficulties.

However, an EnergyAustralia spokesperson says the delay was normal given the testing that needed to be done for final commissioning. 

“As with any major new build, significant testing and modelling alignment was required prior to committing dispatch in the NEM,” she told Renew Economy.

The facility resumed sending power to the grid on Tuesday, right in the middle of a winter solstice cold snap.

“On the coldest of winter days, New South Wales typically requires all generating assets running to ensure system reliability,” said EnergyAustralia managing director Mark Collette.

With coal assets retiring, we know Tallawarra B’s role will be an important one in keeping the lights on for homes and businesses in the state over the coming years.

The new gas plant is operating alongside the existing 430 MW Tallawarra A station and is also supposed to be operating in part using green hydrogen, with a target of 5 per cent from 2025 or 200,000 kg a year – pending supply. 

The hydrogen element of the project brought in federal support worth $5 million and $78 million from the NSW government.

The company has no new updates on green hydrogen supply except that EnergyAustralia remains a willing buyer for any that comes available in the Illawarra region. It has no plans to make its own.

“EnergyAustralia is continuing to assess the feasibility of using hydrogen in Tallawarra B’s fuel mix, however there are many external factors to be considered. Importantly, any feasibility studies regarding hydrogen must align with the development of a hydrogen manufacturing industry of an appropriate size and scale,” the spokesperson says.

There are plans afoot to produce green hydrogen in the area.

Hysata has built a gigafactory for its new electrolyser technology in Port Kembla, and the NSW government wants to turn Port Kembla into a hydrogen hub with a 10 MW electrolyser. A year ago the government contracted gas equipment supplier BOC to start working on the design of the hub for $28.5 million.