Horizon Power’s new 18 megawatt Mungullah power station at Carnarvon has been officially opened by WA Energy Minister Mike Nahan.
The $77 million station, built six kilometres out of Carnarvon to reduce any noise impact on residents, will take over power production from the old, noisy Carnarvon Power Station. It also has the ability to be expanded to provide for the region’s forecast growth.
“Mungullah Power Station produced power from its diesel generators for the first time in January and has undergone commissioning and reliability trials over recent months,” Dr Nahan said.
“Gas-fuelled generating sets are now connected and undergoing testing. They are due to be completed next month.”
The State Government funded the construction of the power station, which was completed on time and on budget, while Horizon Power will maintain ownership and operation of this important Gascoyne region asset.
“The State Government is committed to ensuring that everyone in Western Australia, regardless of where they live, has access to the safest, most reliable electricity supply possible,” the Minister said.
“It gives me great satisfaction to see that through the work of Horizon Power we are delivering on this commitment.”
Dr Nahan said the new power station would meet the needs of the region for many years to come and had been designed specifically to ensure it operated smoothly during extreme weather conditions, which the region was prone to.
Fact file
- Mungullah scope of works: Five diesel-fuelled generators, five gas-fuelled generators, waste transfer/storage, connection to Dampier to Bunbury gas pipeline, high and low voltage switch rooms, workshop and administration buildings, two step-up transformers, twin redundant high voltage express feeder cables
- Commissioning and reliability trials took place over five months from January to June 2014
- Carnarvon residents were kept up-to-date with the station’s progress through meetings and print newsletters.
- Horizon Power worked alongside the traditional owners and custodians of the area, the Gnulli people, throughout the project. Mungullah is the Aboriginal name in the Yinggarda language for the hill on which the power station is located
